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Use of parasiticides: making the right choice for your pet

In response to the recent BBC coverage, and aligned with the British Veterinary Association current guidelines, we want to provide some useful information regarding the responsible use of parasiticide products.

Anti-parasitics protect your pets, your family and your home from infestation of eg fleas, worms, ticks and mites. Some of these parasites can cause serious illness in pets and humans and therefore it is our strong belief that parasiticide products are an essential part of a pet’s preventive healthcare plan. For more information regarding the risks of parasites and protection against them, please read this article here.

There is a range of anti-parasitic products available for pet owners to purchase in the UK. They differ in that:

Some of these can be purchased over the counter at eg pet stores whilst others can only be purchased from a veterinary practice.
Some are oral and others are spot-on.
Some have different active ingredients and therefore different levels of effectiveness.

We believe that veterinary practices are best placed to help you choose the most appropriate products for your pet’s needs; and they can tailor the products to your pet’s age, weight & lifestyle.

Many of the active ingredients used in veterinary anti-parasitics are also found in a variety of other products used to control pests in domestic and agricultural settings, including garden insecticide treatments. As a result, environmental contamination can arise from a number of different sources, which is why the responsible use and disposal of all pest control products is important. Veterinary practices will be able to provide guidance about the responsible use of anti-parasitics to keep your pet healthy, whilst minimising any potential environmental impact.

If you’re concerned about the environmental impact of parasiticide treatment, a few easy actions you can do to avoid environmental contamination in the day-to-day care of your pet are:

Pick up excrement and dispose of this in general waste. This includes outdoor cats who defecate outside.
Dispose of any fur in general waste when grooming your pet.
Avoid the use spot on products for dogs that are frequent swimmers. For these animals, oral products should be given where possible.

If you would like to have a discussion with our clinical team regarding your pet’s current parasitic treatment plan, please book an appointment with our team.