The recent heavy rainfall hasn’t just caused flooding issues in some parts of the country. For pet owners, it also means this is set to be one of the worst tick seasons on record.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) reports that ticks are thriving thanks to this year’s mild winter and the current wet weather. Plus the AVA warns that the previous years of drought means there is not enough antivenom (a natural product that can only be made during tick season) in stock to cope with this year’s onslaught.

Protect your pet

The recent Advantix Protect the One You Love pet owner survey conducted by Bayer Animal Health has shown that around 30 per cent of pet owners are unaware of paralysis ticks and the risks they pose to their pets.

Cat Diaries is therefore urging pet owners across the east coast of Australia, where paralysis ticks are found, to talk to their vet about the best way to guard against ticks.

‘The holiday season is approaching and many pet owners will be travelling to coastal regions with their pets where paralysis ticks are common. We love our pets and wouldn’t want anything terrible to happen to them, and whilst laboratories are working hard to produce enough antivenom to alleviate the shortage in the next few weeks, it is important to understand the risks and symptoms of tick paralysis and how to prevent your pets falling victim to these dangerous parasites,’ says Dr Bob Rees, Bayer Animal Health Technical Services Veterinarian.

What should you do during tick season?

1.      Prevention is better than cure – repelling ticks before they bite is the key to prevention, so talk to your vet about the best course of action.

2.      Check your pet every day for ticks – the best way is to feel, not look, for ticks. Start in the common places such as the head and neck, but make sure you search everywhere, including the ears, around the eyes, under the collar, between toes, etc. Your pet is also bound to enjoy the extra attention!

3.      Look out for the telltale signs:

• Weakness in the hind legs or staggering, which may be followed by paralysis;
• Vomiting or regurgitation;
• Change in you cat’s meow due to paralysis of the throat and voice box;
• Laboured breathing, which may include a ‘grunting’ sound.

4.      If you are travelling with your pet – check with your vet if you will be travelling to an area where there are paralysis ticks. If so, make sure your pet is treated every two weeks and checked for ticks daily.

5.      If you notice any of the warning signs, take your pet to your vet immediately.

Take the time to protect the one you love!

Image sourced from: about.com

VitaZing multivitamin chews provide your fluffy companion with a whopping 25% of his or her daily vitamin requirements, helping you ensure that your cat gets the very most out of every day. Containing B-complex group vitamins that unlock the nutrients in food, VitaZing is sure to put a spring-or should we say zing-in Moggie’s step. Just one delicious liver-based chew for every 5kg your kitty weighs will ensure it receives a large portion of the vitamins required for optimum health.

Washmate Soap-Free Shampoo is the gentle, safe and quality solution for making bath-time as painless as possible. Not only is Washmate soap free and ph-balanced, ensuring it is soft on skin, but it also contains coconut oil to condition your pet’s skin, leaving it smelling and feeling great. Washmate has been specially formulated to work well in conjunction with flea and parasite treatments such as Advantage, Advocate and Profender.

To make sure your special furry friend is taken extra special care of, try these two new products and see your cat shine from the inside out! Vitazing and Washmate are available at petstores, vet clinics and online.

Advantage is easy to apply – you simply squeeze the pre-measured dose onto the back of your pet’s neck. Advantage then spreads over your pet, remaining in the oily layer of the skin, where it is effective against fleas all month long. Best of all, fleas don’t have to bite your pet to be affected, so with Advantage your pet suffers less of those painful flea bites.
The top 3 benefits of Advantage

1) Fastest relief from painful bites
•    Stops fleas biting in 3-5 minutes
•    Advantage is the only topical to kill exclusively on contact, not on bite

2) Prevents development of further fleas
•    Kills 98%-100% of fleas before they lay eggs
•    Prevents infestation if your treated pet comes into contact with other pets with fleas
•    Kills adult fleas and flea larvae within 20 minutes of contact

3) Long-lasting and easy to use
•    Drop Advantage on the back of your pet to protect them from fleas for 1 month

Advantage is available in 4 and 6 month packs from your veterinarian.
For more detailed information, visit www.advantagefleacontrol.com.au

What is it?

Profender is the world’s first spot-on intestinal wormer for cats. You can now worm your cat tablet free (Profender is administered directly to the skin). Profender uses new technology that was developed specifically for cats to produce the most effective all wormer available for purchase. Stress-free worming provides peace of mind that your cat’s health is being cared for.

What does it do?

Profender protects your cat from hookworms, roundworms and tapeworms in one easy treatment. It also kills immature and larval stages of worms so you are getting the best possible protection from worms for your cat. It is the only intestinal wormer that kills all infective stages of the relevant intestinal worms in cats in Australia.

How does it work?

After being administered to the skin at the base of the neck (so cats can’t lick it off), Profender is absorbed through a cat’s hair follicles into the bloodstream. Profender then makes its way into the cat’s intestine where it kills worms on contact.

Whe should I use it?

Profender is extremely effective at killing worms that are present in your cat’s intestine at the time of treatment. However, it does not act like a vaccine to protect against future infection. That’s why regular treatment is essential to maintain your cat’s health. Cats can be reinfected from the environment and contact with other pets.

Adult cats
Treat with Profender every 3 months

Kittens
Treat with Profender at 8, and 12 weeks of age and thereafter every 3 months.

Pregnant cats
Treat with Profender at mating, before birth of the kittens and then every 3 months.

Where do I get it from?

Profender is available from veterinary clinics without consultation. If you have any questions about Profender, speak to your veterinarian, visit the Bayer website at www.bayeranimal.com.au or contact the Bayer Customer Information Line on 1800 678 368 Toll Free.

How do cats get worms?

The cat’s environment can remain a continual source of re-infection. Worm eggs and larvae are passed in the faeces and as such they survive in areas where cats roam and areas where cats are kept.

In the case of flea tapeworms, the larvae are carried by fleas, cats can become infected when grooming themselves. It is essential to maintain effective flea control to protect against flea tapeworms.

Why are intestinal worms dangerous to your family?

Whilst most people love and care for their cats, many are not worming their pets as regularly as they should. Not only could this seriously affect the health of your cat, it also poses a significant health hazard for your family.

Toddlers and young children love to play with cats, and cats can roam in areas where toddlers play, such as sand pits. In this way, unfortunately, cat worm eggs and larvae can be transmitted to humans and swallowed. This potentially leads to diseases that result in cysts in the liver and lungs and serious damage to eyes – a real risk to your family’s wellbeing.

Zoonoses is the name given to diseases that can be transmitted between animals and man. Many people are ignorant of the fact that cat intestinal worm species can be transmitted to people.

]]> http://www.catdiaries.com.au/product-information/profender/feed/ 11 http://www.catdiaries.com.au/product-information/advocate/ http://www.catdiaries.com.au/product-information/advocate/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:09:52 +0000 Cat Diaries http://www.catdiaries.com.au/wp/?p=2438

What is it?

Advocate is the most complete all-in-one parasite protection for dogs and cats. That means it kills more kinds of parasites than any other single treatment giving you peace of mind.

What does it do?

• Fleas and flea larvae

• Heartworm

• Hookworm

• Roundworm

• Whipworm in dogs

• Ear mites

• Sarcoptes mites in dogs

• Demodex mites in dogs

• Lice

How does it work?

Advocate contains two active ingredients in a single pre-measured application. Simply squeeze the contents onto your pet’s skin once a month.

Advocate contains imidacloprid (the proven flea control active from Advantage) and moxidectin – for powerful worm control.

After application, the imidacloprid spreads all over your pet to act against fleas and lice. It kills fleas and lice on contact which eliminates painful itching and being bitten by fleas for your pet.

Moxidectin is absorbed into your pet’s bloodstream where it acts on internal parasites (heartworm and intestinal worms) and mites.

When should I use it?

Advocate should be applied monthly.

Where do I get it from?

Advocate is available from veterinary clinics without consultation. If you have any questions about Advocate, speak to your veterinarian, visit the Bayer website at www.bayeranimal.com.au or contact the Bayer Customer Information Line on 1800 678 368 Toll Free.

Fast, Effective Flea Control

Fleas are one of the most common problems for dogs and cats, and they’re more than just an annoying pest. When fleas bite, they suck out blood, causing intense irritation and itching. This can lead to flea allergy dermatitis. Monthly use of Advocate will keep fleas under control.

• Stops fleas feeding within 3-5 minutes to relieve your pet’s suffering fast

• Kills both adult and larval fleas within 20 minutes of contact

• Kills 98-100% of fleas within 12 hours of first application

• Kills fleas that jump onto pet , within 1 hour

• Breaks the flea lifecycle by killing flea larvae as well as adult fleas

• Reduces the incidence of flea allergy dermatitis

Prevent Deadly Heartworm

Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes and are found throughout Australia. Heartworm infection is serious and can be fatal. With monthly use, Advocate prevents heartworm infection in both dogs and cats.

Eliminate Gastrointestinal Worms

Gastrointestinal worms can affect dogs, cats and potentially humans. Advocate is extremely effective – with up to 100% elimination of hookworms, roundworms and whipworms – after a single dose.

Advocate is the only product that kills adult, immature and larval stages of hookworms and roundworms, preventing the establishment of new infections that can affect both your pets and your family.

Treat and Prevent Mites

Ear mites are usually found in the external ear canal, causing intense irritation. Advocate is highly effective against ear mites helping to relieve your pets suffering after a single dose.

Sarcoptic mange is a debilitating skin disease caused by sarcoptic mites. Advocate eliminates 100% of sarcoptic mites after a single dose, relieving pet’s suffering fast.

Demodectic mites can cause generalised demodectic mange, a potentially debilitating skin disease in dogs that results in widespread skin lesions. Advocate applied at monthly intervals for two to four treatments is highly effective in treating this potentially disfiguring condition.

Control Lice

Lice can cause severe itching in dogs, but Advocate controls these blood-sucking parasites fast for quick relief.