Pet Parasites | Flea and Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm disease is being reported with increased frequency in San Diego County due to the increased number of mosquitoes resulting from the wet weather. Mosquitoes transmit the heartworm larvae, which grow into adult spaghetti-like strands of worms in the heart and surrounding blood vessels; left untreated, this disease causes heart failure and death. The treatment for heart disease is costly and bears some risk-when the adult worms are killed with treatment, the pet may suffer a major stroke, embolism, or other severe side effects, which may also be fatal. The best measure to take is PREVENTION, which consists of giving a monthly application to prevent any larva from developing into adult worms. Prior to starting heartworm preventative, a simple blood test is run to confirm heartworm infestation is not already present.

Heartworm preventatives available include Interceptor, Heartguard Plus, and Sentinel. These all prevent intestinal parasites-roundworms, hookworms, and whip worms as well. Intestinal worms, if untreated, cause symptoms ranging from weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting and poor coat quality to anemia, severe weakness, and even death. It is recommended that you have a stool sample from your pet checked by your veterinarian at least annually, and when your pet has symptoms of intestinal disease. The feces is examined microscopically for the presence of intestinal parasite eggs. Sentinel, in addition, acts by sterilizing fleas, preventing their eggs from hatching, thus reducing the flea population and associated problems: skin irritation, secondary bacterial infection, allergies, blood loss and anemia, and infestation with tapeworms. Tapeworms, rice-like segments pet owners observe around their pet's bottom and in the stool, result when the pet ingests fleas carrying the tapeworm larva. Thus animals do not contract tapeworms from each other directly; the flea is necessary to complete the life cycle. Your veterinarian has medications to treat tapeworm infestation and in addition will recommend improved flea control. Flea control measures include: bathing, dipping, collars, Sentinel ("flea birth control"-an oral tablet that acts by sterilizing fleas), Capstar (oral tablet offers rapid elimination of adult fleas, usually within 30 minutes), Comfortis (month-long chewable tablet that kills fleas and prevents reinfestations), Advantage topical (kills fleas up to thirty days with monthly application), Frontline topical (kills fleas and ticks), Revolution topical (heartworm preventative and kills fleas and ticks as well), Vectra topical (works by killing adult fleas, preventing development of immature flea stages, and repelling ticks and mosquitoes) and-very important-treating the environment with carpet powders, foggers, or sprays. It is important to use treatments on a monthly basis due to the flea life cycle. Otherwise, fleas can hatch and develop new infestations.

Our current recommendations include having your pet on heartworm prevention year round with annual testing, flea control year round, and having a stool sample checked once a year, or more often if indicated, for intestinal worms. Heartworm disease is not as commonly diagnosed in cats as in dogs, but we have tests and preventatives available for cats as well. Our current favorite products include Comfortis, Vectra, and for heartworm preventatives, we prefer Interceptor, Sentinel, or Heartguard. Please refer to our web article Flea, Heartworm, and Other Parasite Control Recommendations for further information.

Call Morena Pet Hospital at 619-275-0888.