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Protecting Your Pets & Family from Parasites

Pet 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 About

Why 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 severe allergic reactions.

Cat Scratch Disease & Lyme Disease:
Fleas and ticks can transmit infections that affect people. Remove ticks gently, ideally with special tools.

Quotes from the Experts

"Although we think we can see fleas, they're actually really fast and hard to spot. Some pets might not have a massive infestation but could still be itchy and irritated. Flea allergy is very common. Just because you can't see fleas, don't presume they're not there." — Lesley Hobson

"If you have a new puppy or kitten, you may have seen roundworms in their poo—they look like white spaghetti and can grow up to 15 centimetres long. These roundworms can affect both our pets and us." — Stephen Walsh & Lesley Hobson

"A Trinity Dublin study examined public parks and found that 75% had viable roundworm eggs." — Stephen Walsh

"Ocular migrans is an eye disease caused by roundworms, sometimes leading to blindness. In a study of 200,000 Irish school children, nine in 100,000 had this condition. That's quite scary." — Lesley Hobson

"Worming your pet kills the worms present today, but if your pet is re-exposed, they can become reinfected." — Lesley Hobson

Meet Your Hosts

Stephen Walsh:
With nearly a decade of small animal veterinary experience, Stephen has worked in Ireland, the UK, New Zealand, and most recently Sydney, Australia. In April 2022, he joined Zoetis in a veterinary role, embracing new challenges and opportunities.

Lesley Hobson:
Raised on a farm and active in her local pony club, Lesley always aspired to be a vet. After graduating from University College Dublin’s Veterinary School, she worked in various companion animal practices across the UK and Ireland. Since 2012, Lesley has been with Zoetis, helping Irish vets and pet owners stay informed about key disease areas. At home, she enjoys the company of her adorable pet hamster, Honey.

About Zoetis

As the world’s leading animal health company, Zoetis is driven by a singular purpose: nurturing our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. After more than 70 years of innovation in predicting, preventing, detecting, and treating animal illness, Zoetis continues to support those who raise and care for animals worldwide—from farmers to veterinarians and pet owners. Their portfolio of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and technologies makes a difference in Ireland and over 100 countries.

Find out more: zoetispets.com/ie-en

Have a question about your pet? Send your voicenote to 087 77 54 555!

WHATSAPP YOUR PET QUESTION VOICENOTES TO: 087 77 54 555

Pet owners often struggle to recognise when their beloved companions are experiencing pain or discomfort, mistaking serious health issues for normal signs of ageing or quirky behaviour.

In our debut episode of Vets Talk Pets we look at how routine check-ups can uncover hidden health problems and why seemingly minor changes in behaviour warrant attention. We learn about everything from crate training puppies to identifying pain signals in cats & dogs and offer practical guidance on when to seek veterinary care.

Your hosts are Stephen Walsh and Lesley Hobson are experienced veterinary surgeons. Both bring extensive clinical experience from practice, with Stephen having worked across multiple countries and Lesley coming from a farming background. They're passionate about improving pet welfare through owner education.

The podcast is produced by DustPod.io for Zoetis, an animal health company.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

Why Stephen and Lesley became vets
Challenges and Emotional Aspects of Being a Vet
Personal Pet Stories
Listener Questions and Advice
Identifying Health Issues in Pets

QUOTES

• To make the crate comfortable, put things in there that they like and things that smell like their owners. Something like an old t shirt that you're wearing during the day. 
• Think of a cage as your dog's bedroom where they want to go when they feel worried or if they want to rest.
• Monitoring your pets activities is important. But I think the most important thing is just seeing your vet at least annually, or as they get older maybe even twice a year.
• Some of the advice I give graduates is to tell the owners you want to investigate. You get bloods back and they're normal. That's not a failure. That's a result. You've ruled out lots of things.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Stephen Walsh: 
With almost a decade in small animal veterinary experience, Stephen has worked in Ireland, UK, New Zealand and most recently Sydney Australia. In April 2022 he joined Zoetis in a veterinary role, embracing new challenges and opportunities that have since defined his career path.

Lesley Hobson:
Raised on a farm and deeply involved in the local pony club, it was only natural for Lesley to set her sights on becoming a vet from an early age. After graduating from University College Dublin’s Veterinary School, Lesley worked in various companion animal practices across the UK and Ireland. In 2012, Lesley joined Zoetis, where she helps Irish vets and pet owners stay up to date with the latest developments in key disease areas. At home, she has a very cute pet hamster named Honey.

ABOUT ZOETIS

As the world’s leading animal health company, we are driven by a singular purpose: to nurture our world and humankind by advancing care for animals. After 70+ years innovating ways to predict, prevent, detect, and treat animal illness, we continue to stand by those raising and caring for animals worldwide - from livestock farmers to veterinarians and pet owners. The company’s leading portfolio and pipeline of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and technologies make a difference in Ireland and over 100 countries.

Find out more at:  https://www.zoetispets.com/ie-en/

KEYWORDS

#Vets #PetHealth #osteoarthritis #petbehavior #petsymptoms