If there was ever an example of "an ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure" it applies to this little guy and some of his friends.
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| Hookworm |
Parasites like worms that can be
contracted from fleas, mosquitos, or even soil can wreak havoc on our
pets' health and potentially lead to death, but can be prevented by
simple procedures like feeding monthly chewable, tasty meds;
even
less than an ounce worth!
Fleas, heartworms, intestinal
parasites. What are they and why do we need to prevent our
pets from contracting them?
Peak flea season in
Oregon starts in spring and lasts through the summer into early fall,
but fleas can survive year-round in western Oregon's moderate climate
and our heated homes. Since fleas carry tapeworms, year-round
prevention of fleas prevents tapeworm infection as well. It is also
important to prevent flea accumulation on your pet because the bite
of a flea can cause a skin allergic reaction and secondary infection.
While infections can be severe and cause hairloss, even a mild flea
reaction causes the cat or dog discomfort. If you are not taking
measures to prevent fleas, over time a flea
infestation (=lots of fleas, larvae, AND eggs) can develop
even in a tidy home and infestations are harder to treat. The graph
below shows the flea activity for Salem, Oregon by month.
Monthly, year-round preventative for all pets in the home eliminates
flea problems.
Intestinal Parasites
we may diagnose in a dog or cat include: roundworms (common in
puppies, kittens and pregnant or nursing dogs), hookworms, whipworms
(harder to diagnose, lower incidence in Oregon), and tapeworms (from
fleas). These worms are commonly diagnosed by microscopic examination
of the feces. Roundworms are named for their shape. Hookworms are
named because they hook onto the wall of the intestines and feed off
of the blood of their host. Tapeworms come from fleas, and whipworms
are found in soil but are uncommon in cats. See the prevalence of
roundworms, hookworms and whipworms; Simply follow this link,
http://www.petsandparasites.org/parasite-prevalence-maps/
and click on "Intestinal Parasites".
Annual examination of stool sample for
parasites is recommended to make sure your pet is free of them. This
is especially important for families with young children, as
roundworms and hookworms can be contracted by humans, more commonly
young children.
Heartworms
(Dirofilaria immitis) are roundworms that require a mosquito to
mature and spread from animal to animal. While the dog is the
preferred host, cats may become infected as well. This video provided
by the American Heartworm Society explains the heartworm's life
cycle,
http://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/canine.html.
While the incidence of heartworm is
more prevalent in California, the south, and southeastern, prevention
is still recommended for several reasons: 1)Consequences from
heartworms are dire, once contracted, are very difficult to treat and
may cause death; 2)It is hard to predict the ability of the heartworm
parasite's or the mosquito vector's ability to adapt and more easily
spread the infection outside of the higher prevalence areas; 3)You
may unexpectedly travel to an area of increased heartworm infection
risk; and 4)Presence of a heartworm positive dog from the
southeastern US may go undetected and be a source of heartworm
infection in Oregon in the warm months.
Testing your dog before beginning
heartworm prevention is recommended and then once a year to ensure
that the product is effective. Most heartworm preventions also
prevent intestinal parasites as well.
