Can you be sure your pet hasn't got worms?

How can a healthy pet have worms?
Frankly, it's not easy to tell when a dog or cat has worms.  In severe cases, of course, the symptoms are obvious enough, but in the case of a mild infestation, your pet may still look healthy, and you may remain in blissful ignorance.

It's a common problem.  It  is estimated that 6 out 10 pets in the UK have worms at any one time, and it's a very rare pet indeed that isn't troubled with them at some time in its life.

Whats more, the worm is no respecter of class; it will infest the most pampered Persian as readily as a farmyard moggie!

Fortunately, the news isn't all bad.  Thanks to the latest advances from Bayer, it is possible to deal with all the intestinal worms which commonly infect UK cats and dogs  in a single, simple dose.

What sort of worms are there?
There are two basic types of intestinal woms in the county

Roundworms and Tapeworms.  Roundworms resemble strands of spaghetti, up to 10cm long.  Tapeworms look like strings of rather flatened rice grains, and can grow up to 60cm in length.

In severe cases, they may cause vomiting with diarrhoea or constipation, leading to loss of weight and condition.  In addition, they may weaken your pets immune system, making it more susceptible to infection.

There are several sources of worm infestation.  Roundworms, for example, are transmitted from dog or cat to another by eggs or larvae which develop where they leave their droppings.  The eggs and larvae can survice in the soil for months, even years.  Once picked up on your pet's coat or paws, they are ingested during grooming, infecting your pet and, in turn, contaminiating your home and garden.

Both roundworms and tapeworms can easily be picked up from a hunting cat's prey; mice, for example, often carry the infective larval stages.

By far the most common tapeworm, however, is acquired by swallowing infected fleas while grooming.

Not surprisingly, it is called the Flea Tapeworm; and just as the most cossetted cat/dog will occasionally have fleas, so it may also get worms.

What can I do about it?
Until now, it has been difficult to control both roundworms and tapeworms and with just one product.  Most available wormers would control only the adult worms, and many had to be given at daily or weekly intervals (forget one dose and you were back to square one).

But now, things have changed:  Drontal Cat & Drontal Plus Tablets - the first combination wormer developed
specifically for dogs and cats - will control all the intestinal worms which commonly infect UK pets, with a single, simple dose.

However, no worming treatment can prevent reinfestation so it is important to worm you pet regularly (three to four times a year), especially if your pet has had fleas.  In this way, you can keep your them free from worms, and from the health problems they cause.