Common Mistakes Made by Pet Owners (Part 2)
- Not deworming your pets on a regular basis.
Roundworms are a common parasite in dog and cats. Puppies and kittens get roundworms from their mother in utero through the placenta or through nursing. It important to deworm your puppy/kitten every 2 weeks from 6 weeks until 16 weeks and then every 4 weeks until 24 weeks of age. Furthermore, adult cats and dogs should have a stool sample every 6 months and be dewormed if they test positive for intestinal parasites. Commonly roundworms cause vomiting and diarrhea, but in some cases can also lead to serious illness. Roundworms can also infect people as well and in fact 14% of people in the U. S. have tested positive for the parasite. Infected pets can shed the microscopic eggs in the stool and infect the environment. Kids may swallow the eggs when they put dirty fingers in their mouths. When the worms hatch inside people, they can cause blindness and other tissue damage. Ask your veterinarian about doing fecal tests and deworming for intestinal parasites.
- Not spaying/neutering their pets.
Millions of cats and dogs live on the street and end up euthanized because of unwanted litters. Despite this people are still reluctant to spay or neuter their cats and dogs. The fact is, it’s a healthy choice for the animal. It lowers the risk of breast cancer and infected uterus in females and testicular cancer and prostate disease in males. Neutered males also are less likely to run away from home, mark their territory, or act aggressive. Take the advice of Bob Barker, and please talk to your veterinarian about the decision to neuter or spay your pet.
- Making your cats share a litter box.