Is monthly treatment of cats and dogs for worms and routine flea treatment essential?

Is monthly treatment of cats and dogs for worms and routine flea treatment essential?

Whether and when monthly preventative deworming regimes in cats and dogs should be used, and under what circumstances continues to be debated both inside and outside the UK veterinary profession. Toxocara spp. and Echinococcus granulosus are zoonotic and Angiostrongylus vasorum is potentially highly pathogenic to dogs even if present in low numbers. It is the risk of exposure to these parasites which forms the basis of UK deworming guidelines. The need for routine flea treatment is also fundamental to parasite control protocols in cats and dogs. The benefits of routine flea treatment need to be considered against the possible environmental impact and drug resistance issues that may be associated with long term use. This article considers a risk based approach for establishing whether monthly deworming of UK cats and dogs is required and whether routine flea treatment of all cats and dogs is justified.