Fleas, Ticks, and Heartworm Prevention

Country Creek Animal Hospital highly recommends that all pets be on monthly heartworm, intestinal parasite, flea and tick preventions. Adult pets should be tested at least annually for heartworms and intestinal parasites (puppies and kittens should be screened for intestinal parasites more frequently).

Monthly heartworm/intestinal parasite prevention can help dramatically in preventing parasitic infections in your pet. Some of these infections are also infectious to people (zoonotic). As a public health measure, we recommend to scoop your litter boxes and pick up your yard frequently/daily to remove pet waste, advocate for washing of the hands after doing so and also after handling your pet, educating young people and children about proper hygiene in regards to pets, and again having your pet screened annually for parasites and keeping them on monthly parasite preventions.

For dogs, we recommend the following products:

• Heartgard PLUS for Dogs: monthly beefy chew that prevents heartworms and common intestinal parasites
• Nexgard for Dogs: monthly beefy chew that prevents fleas and ticks

For cats, we recommend the following product:

• RevolutionPlus for Cats: monthly topical medication that prevents heartworms, intestinal parasites, fleas, ticks, and ear mites

Heartworms

Heartworms cause serious problems for dogs and cats. Many pet owners have pets with early stages of heartworm disease and don’t know it. Heartworm disease can be prevented and often cured in our patients, but is fatal if left untreated. Pet owners should have their dogs and cats tested for heartworm disease annually whether or not they are already on preventative medication.

What is heartworm disease?

Heartworms are a parasitic worm transferred to mammals through mosquitos. Although several mammals can contract the parasitic worm, dogs, wolves, coyotes and foxes are ideal hosts for the disease as the worm can mature into adulthood and reproduce inside their bodies. Ferrets are also susceptible to a fatal case of heartworm disease. Cats, and in rare cases, even humans can contract heartworm disease, but most of the worms die before reaching adulthood making them less of a threat to the heart, lungs and other internal organs. 

How does heartworm disease spread?

Mosquitos are the only known transferring hosts of heartworms. While a mosquito is feeding on the blood of an infected animal with advanced stages of the disease, it ingests baby worms, or microfilaria, living in the infected animal’s blood stream. After about two weeks, these baby worms have reached a level of maturity where they are infectious. Once a mosquito bites a susceptible host, it transmits the infectious larvae onto the skin of the animals which makes its way into the puncture wound left from the mosquitos bite and infects the animal. If your pet is on heartworm prevention medication, the larva typically dies quickly without causing harm. If your pet is not on heartworm preventative medication, the heartworms can live years without being detected. Then, as the worm grows and reaches adulthood, it starts causing serious complications.

What are heartworm symptoms?

Because heartworms can live up to 7 years, the symptoms are dependent on the stage of infection and the amount of worms an animal has.

• Stage 1 – No symptoms present other than the occasional cough.
• Stage 2 – Occasional cough and abnormal tiredness.
• Stage 3 – A cough, tiredness, and some trouble breathing. Signs of heart and or lung damage are usually seen on a chest x-ray at this stage.
• Stage 4 – Heartworms have caused severe damage to the animals heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. In this stage, Caval syndrome is likely. Caval syndrome is when there is such a large amount of worms blocking blood flow to the heart that it creates a sudden life-threatening problem in need of quick surgical intervention. At this point, most pets do not live long enough to receive the life-saving surgery.

Can you treat heartworm disease?

Heartworm treatment for dogs is possible, but treatment is costly and has some risks involved. It typically requires a few vet visits, blood work, x-rays, hospital stays and multiple medications. Common heartworm medications include  Simparica Trio, Heartgard Plus, Trifexis, Interceptor Plus, Tri Heart Plus, and Proheart. There is no drug approved to treat heartworms in cats. That said, cats that test positive for heartworms have a better prognosis as they are not ideal hosts for the parasite. The best thing for you to do for your pet is to prevent heartworms from ever developing.

Heartworm prevention is the best treatment

Dogs and cats should get on heartworm prevention medication starting as young as possible and no later than two months old. Dosage is based on body weight so most puppies and kittens can receive heartworm preventatives as early as their first check-up. Every U.S. state has reported heartworm infections, so every dog and cat in the U.S. is at risk of coming into contact with the disease. There are three types of preventative options, but a veterinarian must prescribe them. Heartworm prevention can be received through:

1. Monthly heartworm prevention pills.
2. Monthly topical solution.
3. Bi-annual preventative injections 

Next steps for a healthier pet:

If your pet is not currently on a heartworm prevention regimen, or you are more than two weeks late on administering your monthly heartworm preventative, then consult with veterinarians at Country Creek Animal Hospital or make an appointment today.

Intestinal Parasite Treatment

Deworming your pet is an integral aspect of pet care. While nearly 85% of kittens and puppies are born with parasitic infections, most animals develop immunity over time. However, illness and stress can weaken the body’s response to fight off these parasites and can awaken any dormant larvae that may be living in your pet.

Intestinal parasites affect growth and development and can be transferred between pets and pet owners. If you think your pet might be suffering from a parasitic infection, we can perform fecal exams to detect microscopic parasite eggs and determine if an infection is present.

Common internal parasites: 

• Coccidia
• Giardia 
• Hookworms 
• Roundworms 
• Tapeworms 
• Whipworms

Administering Dewormers

Typically, newborn puppies and kittens are dewormed every two to four weeks starting at the age of 2 weeks old. They should be continually dewormed every two to four weeks until they reach 6 months of age. The mother should also be dewormed along the same schedule as her offspring, to prevent spreading infection through her milk while the offspring are nursing. Administering monthly heartworm prevention is a part of the monthly deworming schedule.

How to control parasites

Parasites are known for their ability to continually re-contaminate their host. In order to control parasites, destroying the eggs and larvae before re-infestation is critical. To achieve this, pet owners must maintain clean and dry living areas for their pets.

Pets should be kept in areas that are easy to remove waste from, wash out, and keep clean, such as cement or gravel. Dirt and grass should be avoided when possible. Pet waste needs to be removed daily, and fleas need to be exterminated.

Is your pet protected? Call us to schedule your appointment today!