Lifetime health & preventative care
Use regional guidance as a starting point for a veterinary plan.
Home, walks, overnight stops, transit countries and a dog’s country of origin all matter. Discuss travel well before departure—ideally at least a month in advance—and agree protection before, during and after the journey. Entry paperwork and compulsory tapeworm treatment do not constitute a complete disease-prevention plan.
Local exposure matters more than national boundaries. Discuss fleas, ticks, intestinal worms and lungworm with your practice. Lungworm distribution is patchy; no UK nation is labelled risk-free. Travel or imported-dog history changes the assessment.
Use advice from your Irish veterinary practice and ESCCAP UK & Ireland. Discuss local lungworm and tick exposure as well as intestinal worms and fleas; UK postcode maps do not establish Irish prevalence.
CAPC recommends year-round broad-spectrum parasite protection and regular testing in its US guidance. Heartworm and tick-borne risks matter; ask a local vet to select products and tests for your dog. This US recommendation is not a universal international timetable.
CPEP guidance uses regional exposure and individual risk. Province, travel and season can influence heartworm and tick plans. The available consensus edition is from 2019, so confirm present local risk and recommendations with your veterinary practice.
CPEP / University of Saskatchewan: Canadian guidance (2019 edition)
Tick-borne risks vary by region. Southern destinations also warrant discussion of sand flies, Leishmania and mosquito-borne heartworm. Ask about the complete route rather than assuming one plan applies throughout France.
Discuss tick exposure, local vector-borne disease and intestinal parasites with a local vet. Imported dogs and travel south need additional consideration; national borders do not create a reliable disease boundary.
Tick protection and route-specific assessment remain important. ESCCAP reports Babesia canis in the Netherlands; that does not mean every local tick carries it. Ask your vet about current local exposure and relevant prevention.
Use the European parasite guidance with local veterinary advice. Discuss ticks, intestinal parasites, hunting or scavenging and overseas travel; do not assume a short stay needs no preparation.
Discuss heartworm, sand flies and Leishmania, and tick-borne infections for the actual destination and season. A UK flea/worm product may not provide the appropriate protection. Plan before departure.
Check transit countries as well as the destination against ESCCAP travel guidance and current local veterinary advice. Distribution maps are approximate and can lag change; an unmarked area is not a guarantee of no risk.
Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is transmitted by mosquitoes and can cause serious heart and lung disease. Leishmania infantum is principally transmitted by sand flies and may cause chronic illness. Babesia parasites and Ehrlichia bacteria are associated with ticks and can cause serious disease. Not all of these risks apply equally in every country or region. Protection against fleas or intestinal worms does not automatically cover them.
Tell your vet the complete origin and travel history, even if travel was months or years ago. Some infections can remain unnoticed for a long time. Ask whether tests and follow-up are needed; a single negative result immediately after travel may not answer every question. Seek prompt advice for illness and mention the history when booking. Our travel planner handles route and documentation questions; your vet handles the individual medical plan.
Parasites & Preventative Healthcare · Keeping my dog healthy · New symptoms: find the right next step
General information, not diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Sources include veterinary professional guidance, veterinary charities and relevant regional parasite organisations. Clinical recommendations need individual veterinary interpretation.
Reviewed 2 October 2026 · Review sooner if advice, distribution or requirements change.