There are a number of different worms that can be picked up by dogs whilst outdoors. The most significant is Toxocara canis, because it can be transmitted to humans and cause serious illness, even blindness.
When an animal is infected with Toxocara worms, they cling to the inside of its bowel, and lay eggs. These eggs, which are invisible to the naked eye, are then shed into the environment in faeces. Here they'll survive for a long time after the faeces has broken down, posing the risk of re-infection to both humans (children in particular) and other animals. The only way to ensure that your dog is not shedding infective eggs into the environment is with regular monthly worming. This is especially important in puppyhood, as most if not all puppies naturally acquire worms from their mothers during pregnancy and the suckling period. All puppies should therefore be wormed from 10 days of age.
Fleas also pose a major health risk to our dogs. They are the single biggest cause of skin disease in pets. They are the way in which tapeworm is spread between animals, and, occasionally, humans. A heavy infestation can even be enough to kill a small puppy.
Monthly worming and flea control is therefore of the utmost importance. However, doing this with seperate pet shop or veterinary products could end up being very expensive. Fortunately, we now have Program Plus, an innovative product that combines flea and worm control in one affordable monthly tablet. Program Plus also protects dogs against hookworm, whipworm and, for traveling dogs, heartworm.
If Program Plus treatment is started before a pet is exposed to fleas, and continued, the manufacturers actually guarantee that it will prevent a flea infestation taking hold in your home. Nevertheless, it is still possible that your pet may, very occasionally, come into contact with fleas in the outdoor environment. In this case Program Plus can be supplemented with Capstar tablets for immediate removal of any such transient 'hitchhiker' fleas.
It must be emphasised that for effective flea control, all cats and dogs living in the house must be treated. For cats, Program comes as a convenient six monthly injection, or a liquid given in the food, once a month.
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