Fleas, ticks and heartworms – oh no! Let our Franklin, NC veterinary team provide parasite prevention for your dog or cat.
A simple way you can help keep your pet healthy is by protecting him or her against parasites. Heartworms, fleas, ticks, and other internal parasites are much more than just pests; they can cause life-threatening conditions in your pet—and cause severe, potentially fatal, health problems for you and your family. We will recommend the best preventive regimen for your pet, based on lifestyle and risk factors. We can also provide expert advice on keeping your whole household safe from parasitic infection. At Noah’s Ark we recommend year round flea and tick prevention, as well as heartworm preventative. For great, detailed information about companion animal parasites, check out www.capcvet.org . There you can see maps that indicate the prevalence of reported disease in our geographic area.
Fleas!
Fleas can cause problems for pets ranging from minor to life threatening. Not only can these parasites cause severe itching, irritation, and allergies, but they can also transmit tapeworms and diseases. Fleas can infest dogs, cats, ferrets, mice, and rats. For more information about the mighty fleas, see our blog, or contact us – we’re flea experts!
At Noah’s Ark, we carry products that are safe, effective, and actually work. We’ll even apply your flea products if you need assistance. It is critical though that you remember the three C’s –
CORRECT FREQUENCY – apply product to ALL companion animals EACH month. Most people find it easiest to remember if they always apply on the same day of the month – the first day for instance.
CORRECT APPLICATION TECHNIQUE – If you’re using topical Bravecto or Revolution, you must part your pet’s coat between the shoulder blades, and apply the entire dose directly to the skin. Hold your pet still for a minute so that the oil can begin to disperse, and your pet doesn’t “shake” a significant amount off. If you’re using Simparica, you must give this pill with a full meal for maximum absorption. All veterinarian sold flea products take from 4 – 24 hours to kill 95% of the adult fleas your pets. But remember, that does not mean that new fleas from the environment will not jump on your pet.
CONSISTENCY – In your battle against the mighty flea you must be consistent. One of the biggest mistakes clients make is to wait until they see fleas to resume their war against fleas and ticks. If you don’t start treating until you see adult fleas…. you’ve got a project!
Heartworms
When they bite, mosquitoes can transmit heartworm infection to your dogs. And those heartworms can wreak havoc. These parasites can severely and sometimes fatally damage the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Some pets may not show any signs of infection, and in those that do, symptoms can vary widely.
In dogs, signs of heartworm disease can range from coughing, fatigue, and weight loss to difficulty breathing and a swollen abdomen (caused by fluid accumulation from heart failure). Canine heartworm infection can also lead to a life-threatening complication called “caval syndrome” (a form of liver failure); without prompt surgical intervention, this condition usually causes death.
Fortunately, there’s an easy way to keep your dog safe: by giving your dog Heartgard Plus or Tri-Heart Plus monthly. These chewable preventatives not only protects against heartworms, but also roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. We can recommend the best regimen of prevention for your pet.
Ticks
Ticks are becoming more and more prevalent in North America, and they’re now being found in areas where people and pets didn’t previously encounter ticks. The exploding population of ticks is partially linked to the steadily increasing deer population. These parasites aren’t just a nuisance; they can cause serious—and sometimes deadly—diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, and tick paralysis. Contact us immediately if your pet starts coughing or has joint pain, trouble breathing, fever, weakness, or loss of appetite, weight, energy, or coordination.
Not only are ticks a health threat for you pets, they can cause serious, chronic health conditions for us humans. North Carolina has one of the highest incidences of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the country. ( See regional map at www.capcvet.org) Unfortunately, our beloved pets can sometimes be the taxi that drives these nasty parasites right into our home. So when ticks fall off your dog or cat, you don’t want them alive – you’d like to be sure they’re dead so they can’t attach to you.
You can’t keep ticks off your dogs and cats if they ever go outside- like fleas, ticks have evolved to do just two things — eat and reproduce. Even indoor-only pets are at risk because ticks can hitch a ride inside on your clothing or shoes. But you do want to be sure that when your pet picks up ticks, they are on a preventative that will kill the tick.
At Noah’s Ark, we recommend Simparica because it handles not only fleas, but ticks too. In fact, it kills 5 different species of ticks, all of which are found in our area!
Our staff can help you sort out how to best protect your whole family from parasites.