Why should my dog or cat be on a regular deworming schedule?
Regular deworming of your dog and cat is not only important for your animal’s health, but also important to the health of humans. The most common types of parasitic worms are roundworms and hookworms. These are intestinal parasites that live inside the intestine of your pet. Dogs and cats of any age can get roundworms and hookworms, and it’s very common in puppies and kittens since they can be passed through the mother’s milk. Roundworms and hookworms are zoonotic, meaning they can be passed on to humans. Most susceptible are young children. The eggs are in the feces of an infected animal and can be deposited on soil, sand and plant life causing contamination. Roundworm eggs will hatch into larvae after ingested by a human. These larvae can then travel through the liver, lungs and other organs causing damage to the tissue affecting the nerves or even become lodged in the eye. They can cause permanent nerve or eye damage, even blindness. Hookworm larvae can move within the skin causing
