As the leaves are changing colors, we know that autumn is here, but don’t put the brakes on your preventatives! Fleas, ticks, and even mosquitoes can still be making meals out of your four-legged family 
members this late in the year. Fall can be a great time to take your dog with you on hikes, apple orchards or pumpkin patches. Be cautious as trees and tall grasses can be a great hiding place for ticks and fleas. Be sure to check yourself and your pets for fleas and ticks regularly, especially as temperatures are dropping and these bugs look for warm bodies!
Fleas & Ticks
With fleas and ticks come (yuck!) parasites,possible disease, and even discomfort with skin irritation and allergies. So there’s good reason to keep using preventatives. A flea infestation is no fun for you or your pet and can even lead to other “guests” as well. The most common parasite you might discover associated with a pet harboring fleas is tapeworms. They are usually found on pet’s poop, but sometimes on the hair around their tail, or you may even spot dried segments of the adult worms in your house. ICK! Some pets are allergic to the flea bites and can suffer from skin lesions, uncontrollable itchiness & other skin problems. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and other nasty diseases so keeping these blood suckers away is essential to your pet’s health and possibly yours.
For more information on the prevention and treatment of fleas and ticks, as well as the dangers they pose to your pet, please click here to visit the Companion Animal Parasite Council's informative website. At Zionsville Animal Hospital we recommend keeping your pets on flea and tick prevention all year long, or at least until we have had two solid freezes & it stays frozen outside. Ask us about our awesome specials on our preventatives making it easier than ever to keep your pet on their medication year round. If you aren't sure what product would be best for your pet to prevent fleas & ticks during even our coldest months, please ask us--we can help!
Heartworm Disease & Preventative
We recommend keeping your dog on heartworm prevention all year round. Not only is heartworm preventative guaranteed if you use it year round, but your pet is at risk at almost any time of the year--so why stop? Most of the heartworm preventatives we carry also help control, prevent, and treat some intestinal parasites too-which can be very hardy in even our coldest winter months.
Heartworm disease is transmitted by infected mosquitoes when they draw a blood meal and deposit larva into your pet’s bloodstream. The larva eventually develop into adult worms, which then reside in your pet’s heart and lungs, causing heart disease and respiratory problems over time. While treatment does exist for dogs, it is both risky and expensive. In fact, one treatment can cost as much as seven years worth of preventatives.
We are always available to answer your questions about heartworm disease, heartworm preventative, and the testing that goes with it. Feel free to give us a call if you need heartworm preventative, or are unsure of your dog’s last test. If you have already consulted with your pet's vet and started a preventative treatment plan, be sure to continue with parasite preventatives all year long and throughout the course of your pet’s life to ensure that he or she remains happy and healthy.
Got questions, or want to know what products we recommend at Zionsville Animal Hospital? Please give us a call today at 317-873-1833!