Learning More About Dog Parasites and How to Prevent Them
What parasites should I test my dog for?
There are a number of different parasites out there. We recommend at least once a year parasite testing of our feces to look for any intestinal parasites your dog might pick up by eating things on the ground, especially other animal stools, like roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, and Giardia.
These are the things that we commonly see infecting dogs. It's very common in young puppies coming from situations like rescue groups, breeders, or what have you. It's very common to get them from their mothers, and we want to test, prevent, and treat.
What other parasites should I be aware of for my dog?
Other parasites we see are transmitted by mosquitoes, and that's heartworm disease. It's more prevalent in the South, especially in the deep South and the Mississippi Delta areas, as they have longer mosquito seasons. They really have mosquitoes year-round, but we certainly have long and variable mosquito seasons here in New England, and we recommend regular heartworm prevention as well.
What should I know about dog fleas and ticks?
The last parasite area we recommend treating against is fleas, which can cause infections in our house between animals as well as severe allergies. The big concern is tick-borne diseases.
Ticks are known for spreading Lyme disease here in New England, but they can also carry many other diseases like Ehrlichia, Anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, just to name a few. Studies have shown time and time again that most ticks don't carry one disease; they tend to carry multiple and transmit them through tick bites.
How can I prevent parasites in my dog?
The good thing is that nowadays, in the last eight years or so, we have prescription-level flea and tick, heartworm, and intestinal parasite preventives that help prevent against these issues. In fact, we have all-in-ones like Credelio Quattro and Simparica Trio to help prevent and treat heartworm, intestinal parasites, fleas, and ticks regularly. We always want to do this safely and effectively, and these medications do so.
What about over-the-counter products for my dog's parasite prevention?
Over the years, for fleas and ticks, early on we had bombs, powders, and mousses for fleas. Most were ineffective, and a lot of them are not safe. Over-the-counter products do not have to prove they're safe or effective before being put on the shelves. However, FDA-approved prescription systemic flea and tick preventives do have to prove that they're safe and effective, and these medications are incredibly effective.
How effective are prescription flea and tick medications?
With the advent of these prescription flea and tick medications, we've seen a significant drop in tickborne disease, almost to the point where it can nearly fully prevent tickborne disease like Lyme disease from being transmitted to your dog and your cat by utilizing all-year-round monthly prescription flea and tick products like Credelio Quattro or Bravecto.
We test every year for flea and tick-borne diseases, heartworm disease, and intestinal parasites. We've seen a precipitous drop in tick-borne disease spread with the advent and use of year-round prescription-level flea, tick, and heartworm medication. That is the way to go.
What are your recommendations to prevent my dog from getting parasites?
If we can prevent common diseases from happening and make our pets happier and healthier, just like you want to keep yourself out of the veterinary office unnecessarily, one of my strongest recommendations is to use flea and tick medications here in New England and heartworm prevention year-round, as our seasons are incredibly variable and our lives are very busy.
Set an alarm on your smartphone to remind you once every month to give that medication. Typically, they're chewable, and most dogs like them. If not, some of these have topical formulations, or we even have once-a-year injections for heartworm and now a flea and tick once-a-year preventive injection made by Merck for Bravecto as well.
Please ask your veterinarian about these incredibly important things we can do to prevent disease easily, safely, and effectively, to keep your dogs and cats happier and healthier. I'll talk about cats in another video.
At Hampton Veterinary Hospital, your pet always comes first. Whether they need routine care or something more urgent, call (603) 926-7978 or email [email protected] to schedule a visit. Our team is here for you and your pet.
