Heartworm disease is caused by mosquitoes who bite infected animals and then transmit the worm larvae to the next animal they bite. It is more common in the warmest and wettest states--places like the midwestern and southern US. However, it is becoming more of a concern here in Colorado.
The American Heartworm Society now recommends year-round, monthly prevention for dogs everywhere. Warmer winters and traveling with pets are two reasons why. Unfortunately, 90% of the hurricane animal victims who relocated here are heartworm positive. This creates a new reservoir for the disease in Colorado. It's more important now than ever to keep your dogs on heartworm prevention. And even if your dog is on year-round prevention, a yearly heartworm test is still important because medications can fail. You don't want to continue giving heartworm preventatives if your pet has become positive for the disease.
Many heartworm preventatives are available. We carry Heartguard Plus beef chewables for dogs. They not only prevent heartworm disease--they also deworm dogs for roundworms and hookworms. For herding breeds who may be sensitive to the ivermectin in Heartguard, we carry Interceptor chewable tablets which contain milbemycin. Interceptor also protects dogs against roundworms, hookworms and whipworms.
Pharmaceutical companies stand behind these products when given correctly for the prevention of heartworm disease. If your dog ever becomes heartworm positive and has been on year-round prevention from a veterinarian with a yearly heartworm test, the company will pay for treatment to cure your dog of the disease.
For more information on heartworm: http://www.heartwormsociety.org/heart.htm
Flea & Tick Medications
For the control of fleas and ticks, we carry Frontline Plus for cats and dogs. Frontline Plus kills adult fleas and ticks as well as flea eggs. It is applied once a month on the skin between the shoulder blades. For severe infestations and households where multiple pets are affected, we can apply a quick-acting Frontline spray to the coat of each affected pet. The spray kills fleas and ticks within hours and then topical prevention can begin at home. Topical preventatives are generally well-tolerated by pets with few negative reactions. They are also more effective than flea collars and flea shampoos.
In Colorado, fleas and ticks aren't a huge problem. However, if you live in a wooded/mountainous area, if your pet runs along rivers or in country areas with wildlife, or if you travel to other states, your pet is likely to encounter fleas and ticks. Prevention is critical because these pests carry organisms which can cause severe illnesses like Ehrlichia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme's disease. Fleas also transmit tapeworms and pets can develop allergies to fleas, resulting in severe itching and hair loss.
Even in cold weather, ticks can still be a problem in wooded, country or river areas. In December, we treated a Dalmatian from the foothills area of Fort Collins for ticks. Most were found under his collar but did not become evident until he was under anesthesia for another procedure. The anesthetic gas prompts ticks to crawl off the body. His owners were unaware he had ticks. Plus they are more difficult to find on long-haired breeds. They can even climb into ears. For these reasons, topical preventatives are the most effective products we have for controlling fleas and ticks everywhere on the body.