11 June 2024
Parasite Prevention for Puppies
There are many different parasites that can cause sickness in your puppy and it is important to start the prevention early. Common parasites include heartworm, intestinal worms and external dog parasites.
Heartworm prevention
Heartworm disease is a serious disease that can cause severe lung disease and heart failure. The risk of puppies getting heartworm disease is equal to that of adult dogs. Puppies can be started on a heartworm preventive starting from 8 weeks of age. The dosage of a heartworm medication is based on body weight. There are different heartworm preventives that you can give to your puppy such as monthly chewable tablet, monthly spot-on product or a sustained-release injectable preventive that is available for dogs over 6 months of age. It is important to give heartworm prevention on time as a missed or late given medication can leave your puppy unprotected. Consult your veterinarian if a heartworm test is needed prior to starting heartworm prevention.
Intestinal parasites prevention
Hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms and whipworms are the most common worms found in puppies. Worms can cause diarrhoea, anemia and weight loss. Puppies can be dewormed every 2 weeks until 3 months of age, starting at 2 weeks old. Then once a month from 3 to 6 months of age and repeat every 3 months after 6 months old for life.
Flea and tick prevention
Fleas and ticks are very common in Hong Kong. They can cause a variety of conditions from skin disease, allergies and to severe anemias. It is important to use effective products that can control flea and tick infestation. Dogs that go to tick-infested areas are at higher risk. There are different products such as spray, spot-on and tick collar. Please consult your veterinarian for more information regarding which product is suitable for your pet.
If your pets are in an emergency or if you have general inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact Veterinary Emergency Centre (VEC).
General Hotline: 2334-2334
24-Hour Emergency Hotline: 6828-6620
Detail
12 December 2023
Cat Deworming
Preventing Infections and Transmissions
Many pet owners often wonder if their cats need to be dewormed. In fact, cats frequently get infected with parasites, especially when they are young. Therefore, regular deworming for cats is crucial to effectively eliminate intestinal parasites, fleas, ticks, and heartworms, ensuring the health of your cat and reducing the risk of human infection.
Primary Transmission Routes of Parasites
Maternal Transmission: When a mother cat carries parasites during pregnancy, these parasites can be passed on to the kittens through the placenta.
Transmission during Nursing: If the mother cat has parasites, she can also transmit them to the kittens during nursing.
Environmental Cleanliness: Regularly clean the areas where your cat spends time. After rain, it is important to remove excessive water outside to prevent mosquito breeding.
Ingesting Infected Fleas: Cats can ingest infectious eggs or larvae while eating or drinking water.
If a cat becomes infected with parasites, it may exhibit symptoms such as gastrointestinal discomfort, coughing, weakness, weight loss, anemia, or bloating in kittens. If you notice any of these symptoms or suspect your cat is infected, seek veterinary care. Additionally, regular deworming can help prevent parasite infections.
Methods of Deworming Cats
There are various deworming products available on the market, each with different usage instructions:
Oral Treatment: Kittens should be dewormed monthly until they are six months old, and then every three months to six months for cats over six months.
Topical Spot-On Treatments: Apply a deworming treatment once a month. Tidy up cat's hair to expose the skin and apply the treatment between the shoulder blades. The medication will gradually penetrate the skin.
If you have any questions about deworming your cat, consult your veterinarian for guidance and follow their instructions.
Additionally, there are some daily measures you can take to help protect your cat from parasite infestations:
Regular Health Check: Schedule regular veterinary health check, including parasite screenings, to detect and treat parasite infections early.
Maintain a Clean Environment: Regularly clean your cat's bedding, litter box, and scratching posts to reduce the chance of parasite infestation.
Avoid Contact with Infected Animals: Avoid allowing your cat to come into contact with infected animals, especially stray cats or dogs.
Detail
20 September 2023
天氣炎熱注意：心絲蟲
香港天氣炎熱潮濕、蚊子多的環境，令心絲蟲更容易傳播。心絲蟲是寄生於貓狗心肺中的線狀寄生蟲。
狗狗常在戶外活動，因此更有機會被帶有心絲蟲幼蟲的蚊隻叮咬。一旦幼蟲在狗狗身體內發育，並寄生在心臟和肺動脈，就會讓狗狗的心臟和血管受到嚴重的傷害。
感染初期症狀並不明顯，需要以血液快速測試及顯微鏡抹片，才可以在這個時期發現心絲蟲的存在。而當心絲蟲的成蟲開始入侵肺動脈與心臟後，狗狗會開始出現活動量下降，咳嗽、容易氣喘，精神與食慾變差、肺部發出雜音等症狀。到了感染後期，狗狗可能會出現血尿、貧血、胸腔腹腔積水，最後可能因為心肺衰竭而死亡。
市面上有不同預防心絲蟲的藥物，而藥物主要都是殺死心絲蟲的幼蟲，建議定期連續服用或每年針藥，才可達到預防的效果。如果狗狗長時間沒有服用預防心絲蟲藥，或在七個月大以上仍未開始預防，獸醫會建議需要以血液檢測來確定沒有心絲蟲成蟲的感染，再開始進行預防。
如果寵物遇到緊急情況，或需要預約一般檢查及查詢，請致電香港獸醫急症中心(VEC)。
一般查詢及預約: 2334-2334
二十四小時緊急熱線: 6828-6620
Detail
