Heartworm Protection

Heartworm season is rapidly approaching and with the recent warm weather you may have even seen a mosquito or two flitting around.  You probably chuckled, or maybe felt the dread of hot, buggy Minnesota nights.  But no one dreads mosquitoes more than your family pet, because to pets not protected from heartworm a single mosquito bite can be fatal.  Mosquitoes can transmit the tiny heartworm larvae when they bite your pet.  The larvae migrate and eventually arrive in your pet’s heart where they reproduce.  If not treated, they will reproduce until they fill the entire heart, causing eventual death of the pet. 

Fortunately, few animals contract heartworm these days due to conscientious and informed owners who choose the best preventatives for their pets.  We at Prairie Village Pet Hospital want you to do the same for your pet and to feel comfortable and informed about your choice.  Along with mosquitoes in the summer months come fleas and ticks, and while fleas can be a nuisance, deer ticks can transmit Lyme disease to your pet so it is important to keep pets at risk protected.  The combination you choose for your pet should fit you and your pet’s lifestyle. 

For example, if your pet rarely spends time outside and you do not live in a heavily wooded area you may not need to protect your pet from all species of ticks, or even fleas.  However, if you have a retriever that goes hunting, spends a lot of time outside, or goes with the family to the cabin up north you would want maximum protection from all parasites.  The combination that offers the most protection is Heartguard Plus monthly chewables and Frontline Plus used monthly.  You may also use the Frontline every three months if your pet needs only flea protection and is not threatened by ticks

öõ Heartguard Plus: A monthly chewable tablet that protects against heartworm and the intestinal parasites hookworm and roundworm.  Heartguard Plus is one of our client’s most common choices for heartworm prevention.

öõ Frontline Plus:  A spot-on liquid that protects against adult fleas, flea eggs, and flea larvae for three months and all species of ticks, including deer ticks that transmit Lyme disease, for one month.  Easy to apply, this liquid dries quickly, doesn’t wash off, and is non-irritating to your pet.  An all-inclusive flea and tick preventative good for pets who spend a lot of time outside.

öõ Revolution: A spot-on liquid that protects against  heartworm,  American Dog Ticks, and kills adult fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, and sarcoptic mange.  Revolution is the only preventative that kills ear mites and sarcoptic mange, diseases that your pet can pick up from other pets or in outdoor environments.  Therefore Revolution is a good preventative for pets that spend a lot of time outside, but if you choose to use Revolution you must consider that it doesn’t protect against the species of tick that transmits Lyme Disease.  There is a Lyme vaccine available that will protect your pet from getting Lyme disease from an infected tick.

Please remember that your pet needs to be tested for heartworm every spring before starting a heartworm preventative program.  This is because no prevention is one hundred percent, and with most of the preventatives being monthly it is easy for owner’s to miss a dose here or there.  If your pet does contract heartworm one season, we need to treat the condition as soon as possible.  Knowing your pet’s heartworm status before beginning preventative every season is key to your pet’s good health.  

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