Parasites & Prevention

Annual Heartworm/Tick Disease & Fecal Screenings^[1]

Heartworm disease (transmitted by mosquitoes) has always been a concern, but tick borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, are now in Ohio. It is important that we test for these diseases as well as Heartworm disease. We can screen for Heartworm and tick borne diseases with one blood sample.

Intestinal parasites are a common concern year-round. No matter how careful you are about where your pet goes outside, it is possible that your pet may accidentally pick up parasites from the environment. For instance, someone else may clean up after their pet, but there is enough non-visible stool left that has parasite eggs on it. Your dog may then step in this area, ingest the eggs while cleaning its foot, and become infected. This is why we should screen your pet's fecal sample yearly.

Heartworm, Flea, Tick, & Intestinal Parasite Prevention

We recommend year-round protection in Ohio because our weather is so unpredictable. The weather is greatly varied from year to year and, at times, even day to day. For example, there have been days in February with temperatures of 60 degrees, while the previous year produced a level 2 snow emergency. On another note, it could be 60 in the morning and the temperature falls to 30 by evening - or vice versa. Fleas, ticks and mosquitoes are active outside during most of the year in Ohio because it takes very specific weather conditions to remove them from the environment for the winter months.

Most heartworm/flea prevention also treats for the most common intestinal parasites (roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms) which are year-round threats. Tapeworms are also common, but are generally only treated as needed.

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• Most puppies get roundworms from their mothers. Adult dogs, on the other hand, can become infected by ingesting infected soil or fecal matter (e.g. while 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.
• Roundworms and hookworms may be transmitted to people, therefore, it is important to clean up after your pet and use good hygiene practices.
• Whipworm eggs can survive in the environment for years and most commonly infect your pet through ingestion of fecal matter.
• Tapeworms are the least harmful but are usually the most obvious. They are transmitted by ingesting an infected flea (e.g. while grooming) or an infected rodent. Your pet cannot get tapeworms by eating a tapeworm.

We carry a variety of heartworm, flea, tick, and intestinal parasite preventatives at our hospital. If you like, we can also write a prescription for an outside veterinary pharmacy. We will help you find the correct preventative combination for you and your pet.

^[1] If a test result is positive, then further testing and/or treatment may be necessary.