Flea and Tick Management
Why is flea and tick prevention important?
Flea and tick infestations can impact the health of your pet. By consistently and actively taking steps to prevent fleas and ticks, pet owners can help their cats and dogs avoid discomfort, skin infections, and diseases (such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever).
Prevention helps keep your pets happy and healthy, but also keeps your home and family safe from a flea or tick infestation.
There are a variety of prevention options. These can include oral medications, spot treatments, and sprays. The best way to determine which flea and tick prevention option is right for your pet is to consult with us. Based on your pet’s medical history and current circumstances, we will recommend the best preventative care for your animal.
Dr. Swann checks for fleas and ticks during your pet’s routine wellness exam and as part of a new pet’s initial exam. If any issues are found, she will discuss the best treatment and prevention to keep your pet healthy.
How do common tick medications work?
Read this article for a good description for how medications work.
Flea and tick infestations can impact the health of your pet. By consistently and actively taking steps to prevent fleas and ticks, pet owners can help their cats and dogs avoid discomfort, skin infections, and diseases (such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever).
Prevention helps keep your pets happy and healthy, but also keeps your home and family safe from a flea or tick infestation.
There are a variety of prevention options. These can include oral medications, spot treatments, and sprays. The best way to determine which flea and tick prevention option is right for your pet is to consult with us. Based on your pet’s medical history and current circumstances, we will recommend the best preventative care for your animal.
Dr. Swann checks for fleas and ticks during your pet’s routine wellness exam and as part of a new pet’s initial exam. If any issues are found, she will discuss the best treatment and prevention to keep your pet healthy.
How do common tick medications work?
Read this article for a good description for how medications work.
Heartworm Prevention
What is heartworm disease?
Heartworm disease is a serious disease that results in severe lung disease, heart failure, other organ damage, and death in pets, mainly dogs, cats, and ferrets. It is caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis. The worms are spread through the bite of a mosquito.
The dog is the definitive host, meaning that the worms mature into adults, mate, and produce offspring while living inside a dog. The mosquito is the intermediate host, meaning that the worms live inside a mosquito for a short transition period in order to become infective (able to cause heartworm disease). The worms are called “heartworms” because the adults live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of an infected animal.
Cats can also get heartworms via an infected mosquito bite, although they are less susceptible than dogs as cats are not a natural host. Both indoor and outdoor cats are at risk, and not all animals will show symptoms.
The best treatment for heartworm is prevention
Many products are FDA-approved to prevent heartworms in dogs and cats. All require a veterinarian’s prescription. Most products are given monthly, either as a topical liquid applied on the skin or as an oral tablet. Both chewable and non-chewable oral tablets are available. Some heartworm preventives contain other ingredients that are effective against certain intestinal worms (such as roundworms and hookworms) and other parasites (such as fleas, ticks, and ear mites).
Year-round prevention is best! Talk to Dr. Swann about which preventive is best for your dog or cat.
Testing, lifecycle and symptoms for both dogs and cats are explained well in this article by the FDA, which we sourced for the information provided about heartworm.
Heartworm disease is a serious disease that results in severe lung disease, heart failure, other organ damage, and death in pets, mainly dogs, cats, and ferrets. It is caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis. The worms are spread through the bite of a mosquito.
The dog is the definitive host, meaning that the worms mature into adults, mate, and produce offspring while living inside a dog. The mosquito is the intermediate host, meaning that the worms live inside a mosquito for a short transition period in order to become infective (able to cause heartworm disease). The worms are called “heartworms” because the adults live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of an infected animal.
Cats can also get heartworms via an infected mosquito bite, although they are less susceptible than dogs as cats are not a natural host. Both indoor and outdoor cats are at risk, and not all animals will show symptoms.
The best treatment for heartworm is prevention
Many products are FDA-approved to prevent heartworms in dogs and cats. All require a veterinarian’s prescription. Most products are given monthly, either as a topical liquid applied on the skin or as an oral tablet. Both chewable and non-chewable oral tablets are available. Some heartworm preventives contain other ingredients that are effective against certain intestinal worms (such as roundworms and hookworms) and other parasites (such as fleas, ticks, and ear mites).
Year-round prevention is best! Talk to Dr. Swann about which preventive is best for your dog or cat.
Testing, lifecycle and symptoms for both dogs and cats are explained well in this article by the FDA, which we sourced for the information provided about heartworm.