{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Vets Talk Pets Ireland","title":"Worms Pets Roundworm Lungworm Tapeworm Prevention Treatment","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2535,"description":"WHATSAPP YOUR PET QUESTION VOICENOTES TO: 087 77 54 555Protecting Your Pets & Family from ParasitesPet owners often face invisible threats from worms and other parasites affecting dogs and cats. Knowing how to prevent and treat these infections is crucial to keeping both pets and families safe from serious health risks.Veterinary experts Stephen Walsh and Lesley Hobson, with years of hands-on experience in companion animal practice, share their insights:Things We Spoke AboutWhy puppies and kittens need worming every two weeks until twelve weeks old:Puppies and kittens can get roundworms from their mother before birth or through her milk.Public parks and parasite risk:A Trinity Dublin study found that 75% of public spaces contain viable Toxocara eggs, which survive for years in damp Irish conditions.Zoonotic dangers:Roundworm infection has been linked to a wide range of diseases in people, the most well-known being ocular migrans—an eye condition that can lead to blindness. One study found that nine out of every 100,000 school children in Ireland were affected.Sandpits:Always cover sandpits to prevent cats, dogs, and wildlife from using them as litter trays.Protective habits:Hand washing, picking up poo, and monthly worming are vital for protecting immunocompromised families and children from environmental contamination.Lungworm (French heartworm):Dogs can be infected by ingesting snails, slugs, grass blades, frogs, puddles, and water bowls. Lungworm is present in foxes all across Ireland and may cause a range of diseases, including sudden death in dogs without warning signs.Tapeworm:Rice-like segments may appear in pet stools from flea or raw meat ingestion, but tapeworm rarely causes significant disease in Ireland.Flea detection:Flea dirt turns red on wet paper, revealing a blood meal. Fleas can lay up to 50 eggs daily, infesting beds and carpets; central heating enables year-round survival.Flea allergies:Even without an obvious flea infestation, pets can suffer...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/0B3itW04t9_if9TzXvb8kHzwlqG1Yjlq60oHGOcrrvo/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zNmMw/N2NkMmNmYTUyMTA3/Mjk4OTJjYzI0OWNi/YjM0NC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}