Parasites

  • Why does my dog need a heartworm test if he/she is on heartworm prevention year-round?

    • Unfortunately, no preventative is 100% effective. The most important reason for testing is because heartworm preventatives eliminate heartworm larvae, but not the adult heartworms that can cause severe disease or death. We require the heartworm test every other year if your dog is on heartworm prevention year-round.

  • Why does my indoor only pet need flea or heartworm prevention?

    • Humans are not a natural host for the flea, however, fleas may use you as transportation to come in contact with your pet. Also, it is possible that your dog can bring fleas in from outside and transfer them to your cats. Fleas are very small and not easily noticed, but having them is not an indicator of poor hygiene. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos which can get inside of your house and bite our pet. Remember, it is easier to prevent fleas and heartworm disease than it is to treat them.

  • Why does my dog need year-round heartworm and flea prevention?

    • The heartworm medication also treats for intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms; which are year-round threats. Also, fleas and mosquitos are active outside during most of the year in Ohio. We recommend year-round protection because weather in Ohio is so unpredictable. For example, there have been days in February with temperatures of 60 degrees, while the previous year produced a level 2 snow emergency.

  • Why do I need to bring a fecal sample to my pet's annual? I am very careful about where he/she goes.

    • No matter how careful you are it is possible that your pet may accidentally pick up parasites from the environment. For instance, someone else may clean up after his/her pet, but there is enough non-visible stool left that has parasite eggs on it. Your dog then steps in this area, cleans his foot, ingests the eggs, and becomes infected.

  • What intestinal parasites can my pet be infected with and where do they come from?

    • The most common intestinal parasites are roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms. Most puppies can get roundworms from his/her mother; but adult dogs can become infected by ingesting infected soil or fecal matter (ie. grooming) or by eating infected animals such as rodents. Hookworms are also transmitted by ingesting infected soil or fecal matter, but they can also burrow through your pet's paw pads. Whipworm eggs can survive in the environment for years and most commonly infect your pet through ingestion. Tapeworms are the least harmful but are usually the most obvious. They are transmitted by ingesting an infected flea (ie. grooming) or infected rodent. Your pet cannot get tapeworms by eating a tapeworm. Roundworms and hookworms may be transmitted to people, therefore, it is important to clean up after your pet and use good hygiene practices.