Heartworm Disease
Heartworm Disease is a very serious, and potentially fatal, disease. Pets can get Heartworm Disease from mosquito bites. Heartworms live in your pet's heart and the worms are often about a foot long. To better understand Heartworm Disease, we recommend visiting the American Heartworm Society website. We recommend Heartworm prevention year round and for your canine pet we offer Heartgard, a monthly chewable preventative, or we have Proheart6, which is an injectable form of prevention. For your feline pet, we have topical preventatives. Heartworm tests are quick and easy, usually only taking about 10 minutes to process. All it takes is a simple blood draw to get started. An added bonus to Heartworm Preventatives is both forms also help prevent against hookworms and roundworms.
Fleas and Ticks
Fleas and ticks are more than just a nuisance. They can make your pet extremely uncomfortable and cause several different types of illnesses, like flea allergy dermatitis and tapeworm infestations. Lehi Animal Hospital can evaluate your pet to determine the best type of flea prevention medication. We currently do not see many fleas here in Utah. However, we do see cases of Ticks and do recommend a preventative, especially for those dogs that are taken in the mountains, hiking or camping. Flea and Tick Preventatives are easy to give, most pets enjoy the monthly chewables like treats.
Pet Health Hazards Of Fleas And Ticks
Fleas and ticks carry diseases that can cause serious harm to your pet. The most common problem associated with fleas is flea allergy dermatitis, which causes excessive itching, skin inflammation, sores and hair loss. The second most common problem associated with fleas is tapeworms. Fleas can carry tapeworm eggs, and when the flea bites your pet, the egg can be deposited under your pet’s skin, causing a tapeworm infestation.
Ticks are known to carry many different types of bacteria that can cause zoonosis, rocky mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. Lyme disease causes lethargy, pain in your pets joints and a decrease in appetite. Rocky Mountain spotted fever can cause skin lesions, vomiting, problems with your pet’s nervous system and depression. Zoonosis is known for causing bloody diarrhea, fevers, runny noses and watering eyes.
Types Of Flea and Tick Prevention Medication Available
When it comes to preventing fleas and ticks, there are several different types of medications available. We currently carry an oral chewable tablet for dogs and we have a topical treatment for cats. Both are easy and convenient to give to your pet.
- Oral Tablets – Typically given once a month to control fleas and ticks. When the parasite bites your pet, it ingests the medication and dies.
- Spot-On Treatments – Placed between your pet’s shoulder blades once a month. Kills fleas and ticks on contact and prevents further infestations.
For more information on parasite prevention services or to schedule another type of service, call us at (801)-766-5336 today.