Treating yard for parasites?????

CRG · Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject: Treating yard for parasites?????

What can I do to treat the yard before I put up my outdoor cage?
I am thinking I need to put the cage inside the dogs yard to prevent other animals coming in to pester the tegu.But since the dogs have been crapping everywhere and we recently had a puppy with roundworms out there what can I use to treat the yard?The animals have been treated but the eggs could still be in the ground right?
Can I even do this? Can the tegu get roundworms? I hate to think of all the other parasites that might be out there.(whipworms,hookworms,pinworms, who knows?)

JenDVM · Member Joined: Feb 23, 2007 Posts: 20

most parasites are fairly species specific.

if your puppy had "Roundworms" they were most likely Toxocara canis, and those can be found in dogs and cats, but I've never seen them in reptiles. (Reptiles have their own type of roundworm to worry about)

if parasites cross species, it's extreemly rare to cross species from Warmblooded to Coldblooded animals. Ectoparasites would be the only ones to really worry about (fleas, mites, ticks...etc)

The puppy round worms eggs are still in the yard, but they should not affect your tegu. Keep your puppy on monthly heartworm medication (most monthly treatments also contain deworming agents in them) and that should keep the parasties from reinfecting your puppies.

When keeping animals outdoors, I recommend fecal exams every 6 months to check for parasites. If you establish a relationship with a local vet and make them aware of your situation, you should be able to just drop of a fecal sample from your pets for testing and there is usually a minimal fee for the test ($20-30.00)