Parasite Prevention

Fleas, ticks, worms, and mosquitoes – it’s important that your pet is protected from these pests, which can infect your animal companion and spread disease. Here’s a list of common parasites and the problems they cause:

• Fleas – can trigger dermatitis, tapeworm and hot spots
• Intestinal worms – cause illness and can also infect humans
• Ticks – can transmit numerous dangerous illnesses, including Lyme disease, to both pets and people
• Mosquitoes – carry potentially deadly heart heartworm, which is prevalent in our region

Preventative medications are very effective in keeping most pests at bay. In addition, you should thoroughly check your pets for fleas and ticks if they’ve been outdoors. As for intestinal parasites, some worms can be detected in your pet’s stool, although others cause different symptoms. Intestinal worms are usually easy to eliminate with medication, but, left untreated, they can eventually make your pet very ill. Heartworm from mosquitoes is even more dangerous because pets often don’t display symptoms of the disease until it is well advanced. Currently, there is treatment for dogs, but it can be expensive and very hard on your pet. There is no cure for heartworm in cats. At Parkway Animal Center, we believe prevention is always the best treatment! We carry many different types of flea, tick, and heartworm preventive and the bulk of them also prevent some intestinal worms. Our veterinarians can help you choose which one is right for your pet. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call us at (707) 425-4050.