Parasites in Paradise: How to Keep You and Your Pets Safe While Traveling
12-16-2020
Author: in Education
The open road can be full of amazing adventures, especially when your dog or cat is with you for the long haul. However, the great outdoors is also home to pests looking to take a bite out of you and your furry friends. Keep reading to learn more about insects and parasites you or your pets may encounter while living on the road and discover what steps you can take to keep them from ruining your fun.
Nomadic Nuisances: Common Pet Pests and Parasites
There are several types of external and internal parasites that you may have to deal with while traveling. These pests can carry many types of pathogens that can make you and your pets ill. Some insects and parasites you may run into on your outdoor adventures include:
Fleas
So, how can you stop insects, parasites and bacteria from affecting you and your furry traveling companions? The following list outlines some preventative measures you can take to reduce the risks:
It's important to protect yourself and your pets against potential health and safety threats when you're traveling full-time with your dog or cat. With these preventative measures, you can keep pests and parasites out of your RV and avoid their harmful effects. Use these techniques to stay safe while you enjoy the open road and the great outdoors with your furry friends.
Nomadic Nuisances: Common Pet Pests and Parasites
There are several types of external and internal parasites that you may have to deal with while traveling. These pests can carry many types of pathogens that can make you and your pets ill. Some insects and parasites you may run into on your outdoor adventures include:
Fleas
- Fleas are the most common insects found on cats and dogs. The pests live in shady places beneath shrubs, leaves, and trees and can leap onto cats and dogs during hikes or infest their fur when they lie down to rest. From there, the fleas continue to feed, reproduce, and spread to any nearby animals or people.
- These external parasites can cause injury as well as illness. Flea bites can trigger allergic reactions such as rashes and hives. Pets with fleas may also scratch themselves until they bleed or develop painful sores. Fleas on humans and animals can transmit plague, murine typhus, and cat-scratch disease, as well as parasites like tapeworms.
- Mites are microscopic parasites that live outdoors in trees and on leaves. Dogs and cats often encounter these pests while playing outside and pass them to other animals and people through close contact. Some species of mites are highly contagious and can infest all the clothing and bedding in your RV.
- Mites burrow into the top layer of the skin, causing intense itching that can make your pets scratch themselves raw. Excessive scratching can form blood pockets on your dogs and cats that may require surgery. Mite infestations can also cause mange, scabies, and secondary bacterial and yeast infections.
- Typical habitats for ticks include brush, leaf litter, and tall grass in cool, damp wooded areas. Humans and animals walking through scrub vegetation in forests are at risk for bites. Once embedded in the skin, ticks on dogs and people can feed for about 3 to 10 days.
- These pests can transfer several tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever to you and your pets. Some species may also inject toxins into the blood as they feed, causing tick paralysis in their hosts.
- Mosquitoes lay their eggs in still water, so you and your pets are likely to encounter them while swimming, kayaking, or fishing. In addition to their painful, itchy bites, these insects can transmit malaria, Zika virus, or West Nile virus. Mosquitoes also spread heartworm to dogs and cats if they bite an infected animal before taking a blood meal from your pet.
- Hookworm, whipworm, and roundworm are a few common parasites that affect people and pets. Cats can get worms by eating an infected bird or rodent. Worms in dog poop and human waste end up in the ground around outhouses and pit toilets and can burrow into the skin of people and animals that touch the contaminated soil.
- Roundworms in cats and dogs can cause a potbellied appearance, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. These blood-drinking parasites also cause fatigue, extreme weight loss, and anemia. Over time, the worms may move from the intestinal tract into the lungs, causing respiratory problems.
So, how can you stop insects, parasites and bacteria from affecting you and your furry traveling companions? The following list outlines some preventative measures you can take to reduce the risks:
- Consider registering with a national vet care chain when living on the road with your pet. Most of these pet care centers have clinics across the country and keep patient records available online.
- Ensure your animals are always up-to-date on their vaccinations for heartworm, rabies, and other diseases.
- Ask the vet to prescribe flea and tick treatments for your dogs and cats and follow all recommended disease precautions. Request three or six month supplies when possible to avoid frequent refills and keep physical copies of all their prescriptions.
- Stay informed on common pet pests when traveling to new areas of the country. Different climates and terrain attract different types of insects and parasites.
- Check your pet's skin and coat after they finish playing in open fields or rolling in leaves.
- Stick to a regular cleaning and housekeeping routine to deter pest infestations and get rid of ants in your RV.
- Launder clothes, blankets and other fabric items frequently and vacuum your furniture and sleeping areas on a regular basis.
- Avoid going barefoot while walking outdoors, and wash your hands with antibacterial soap immediately after handling soil, animals, or equipment around your campsite.
- Keep pests and mite-infested wildlife away by using closed garbage cans and compost bins to manage trash while boondocking.
It's important to protect yourself and your pets against potential health and safety threats when you're traveling full-time with your dog or cat. With these preventative measures, you can keep pests and parasites out of your RV and avoid their harmful effects. Use these techniques to stay safe while you enjoy the open road and the great outdoors with your furry friends.
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