Parasite Prevention

Preventing parasites in our four-legged companions is vital for their health. In addition, some of the parasites our pets may get can cause health problems for their owners!  With the latest in parasite prevention, your pet does not have to suffer from parasites.  These are the parasites we can treat, as needed:

Intestinal Parasites:  Every pet should be tested at least annually for these with a “fecal exam”.  Some intestinal worms are prevented with the monthly heartworm medicine.

Heartworm:  Heartworm is transmitted with a mosquito bite.  These worms grow to 14 inches and live in the heart, causing serious heart damage.  Because heartworm infection can be devastating, we recommend a monthly heartworm preventative for all dogs, June through November (or year-round for those that travel).  If you have not used heartworm medicine on your dog, we recommend a blood test for heartworm infection first. Pets on the preventative should have a blood test every 1-2 years.

Ectoparasites:  Ectoparasites are parasites that live on the skin, such as fleas and ticks.  Fortunately, the incidence of these parasites in our area is low.  We do recommend Frontline, a monthly flea and tick preventative, for pets that are at risk for these parasites.