Worming, Parasites and Fleas - Puppies and Kittens

Parasites, Fleas, Ticks and Prevention

Many modern products offer combined protection against fleas, worms, ticks, and heartworm in a single dose, making it easier than ever to keep your young pet safe.

Your Pet’s Parasite Protection Plan

At Forth Valley Vet Clinic we are always keeping up to date with the latest developments in parasite prevention and treatment. We regularly review new products as they become available, assessing their safety, effectiveness, and suitability for the pets in our care. Our goal is to ensure we are offering the most reliable and up-to-date protection for your pets. As new, proven products enter the market, we evaluate them carefully and update our supplies accordingly—so you can trust that the treatments we recommend are based on the latest veterinary knowledge and standards.

We’ll work with you to:

Choose the right products for your pet
Set reminders via SMS for you for doses or boosters
Help adjust their plan as they grow or their lifestyle changes

Common Parasites

Parasites can affect your pet's health in many ways, some are irritating, while others can be life-threatening. At Forth Valley Vet Clinic, we take a proactive approach to parasite protection, guiding you through the safest and most effective options for your pet’s age, lifestyle, and risk level.

Microscope image of Tapeworm — **Common intestinal worms (parasites) in pets include:**

**Roundworm**: Long, spaghetti-like worms that can cause bloating, diarrhoea, and poor growth.
**Hookworm:** Small, blood-feeding worms that attach to the intestinal lining, often causing anaemia and weakness.
**Whipworm:** Thin worms that live in the large intestine and can cause inflammation, weight loss, bloody stools.
**Tapeworm:** Flat, segmented worms often spread by fleas or raw meat. Segments may be visible in your pet’s stool or around their bottom.

**Recommended Worming Treatments:**

Every **2 weeks** until **12 weeks** of age
Then **monthly** until **6 months** of age
After **6 months**: every **3 months** or to the schedule of your chosen brand for life
Worms can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, bloating, poor coat condition, weight loss, and lethargy. If you see worms in your pet’s stool, treat immediately and contact us for advice.

Here at our clinic, we commonly use Milpro for routine worming because it is a broad-spectrum, effective, and easy-to-administer product that protects your pet against a wide range of internal parasites. Milpro contains two active ingredients: Milbemycin oxime, which treats roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and helps prevent heartworm disease; and Praziquantel, which targets tapeworms, including Echinococcus species- which is particularly important to cover against here in Tasmania.

Milpro is given as a flavoured oral tablet, making it simple to dose. We generally recommend administering it every 3 months for ongoing intestinal worm control, or monthly if heartworm prevention is needed. It goes nicely with a 3-monthly external parasite protection (such as Bravecto) to provide your pet with comprehensive parasite control.

Additionally, Milpro is recognised by the Spirit of Tasmania for pet worming, making it a trusted choice for pets travelling with you.

Health & Hygiene

Some intestinal worms are zoonotic, meaning they can be passed from pets to humans—especially young children. Regular worming helps protect your whole family.

To reduce the risk of reinfection:

Clean up your pet’s droppings promptly (especially in shared outdoor areas)
Wash hands after handling pets or cleaning up after them
Ensure all pets in the household are treated regularly—even if they show no symptoms

Other common intestinal parasites know as Protozoa include:

Coccidia: A microscopic parasite that damages the intestinal lining, causing diarrhoea (sometimes with blood), especially in young pets or in group settings.
Giardia: A waterborne parasite picked up from contaminated water or faeces. It causes soft, foul-smelling diarrhoea and can be persistent if untreated

Fleas

Fleas are tiny external parasites that can cause intense itching, hair loss, skin infections, and allergic reactions. Even indoor pets can get fleas, and infestations can quickly spread throughout your home.

At our clinic, we offer a few different options for flea prevention, each designed to suit different pets’ needs and lifestyles. The main products we use include Bravecto, NexGard, and Moxiclear all effective in preventing fleas, but with varying ingredients, dosing schedules, and additional parasite coverage.

Bravecto contains the active ingredient Fluralaner and is available as an oral chew for dogs and a topical solution for both dogs and cats. It starts killing fleas within hours and provides protection for up to 3 months with a single dose. Bravecto also protects against ticks, making it ideal for pets at risk of tick exposure.
NexGard, another chewable flea prevention, contains Afoxolaner, which kills fleas and ticks by interfering with their nervous system. Unlike Bravecto, NexGard is given monthly, which some owners prefer for easier routine tracking. It's highly palatable and fast-acting, making it a popular choice for dogs that are prone to fleas or ticks.
Moxiclear, on the other hand, is a topical monthly treatment applied to the back of the neck. It contains Imidacloprid and Moxidectin, offering protection not only against fleas but also heartworm, ear mites, and intestinal worms such as roundworm and hookworm. While Moxiclear doesn’t cover ticks or tapeworms, it’s ideal for comprehensive internal and external parasite control in both dogs and cats.

Each product has its advantages, and our team is happy to help you choose the most suitable option based on your pet’s age, health status, environment, and risk factors.

Ticks in Tasmania

While paralysis ticks are a serious threat in many parts of mainland Australia, they are not currently established in Tasmania. However, other species of ticks, such as the brown dog tick, may still be found here and can cause irritation, localised reactions, or transmit disease.

Although the risk is low locally, it’s important to be aware of ticks if:

If you’re travelling with your pet to the mainland, especially to areas like New South Wales or Queensland, where paralysis ticks are common
If you’ve adopted a pet from mainland Australia
If you live in areas of Tasmania with increasing tick activity, which may become more common with changing climate patterns

photo of dog fur showing a tick embedded in skin — **To keep your pet safe:**

Use tick prevention if you're travelling to high-risk mainland areas, our team can recommend the right product.
Check your pet daily during tick season (spring to autumn), particularly if you've been bushwalking or visiting warmer climates.
Ask us about tick-safe travel plans, we’re happy to help with advice if you’re going interstate with your pet.
Signs of tick paralysis include wobbliness, vomiting, weakness in the back legs, or laboured breathing. If you notice these, call us immediately, it’s an emergency.

Heartworm in Tasmania

Heartworm is a serious disease caused by long worms that live in the heart and lungs of dogs. It’s spread by mosquitoes, making prevention essential—even for indoor pets.

Heartworm disease can cause, Coughing, Fatigue Weight loss and in severe cases, heart failure

Heartworm is rare in Tasmania, and local transmission is considered very low to negligible. This is largely due to Tasmania’s cooler climate, which is less hospitable for the mosquito vectors that spread the disease.

That said, heartworm is still a risk for pets travelling interstate, especially to areas like Queensland, New South Wales, or parts of Victoria, where heartworm is more prevalent. In these regions, year-round heartworm prevention is strongly recommended.

If your dog will be travelling to the mainland or if you’ve adopted a pet from interstate, chat with your vet about whether heartworm prevention is necessary.