Helping your pets stay free of parasites is not only good for them, but also keeps your home environment safer for its human occupants. Some intestinal parasites, such as roundworms, can be passed from pets to people. Good hand washing after petting the animals helps, but it also necessary to keep your pets on good quality deworming medication. People are often surprised to find out how common these parasites are because pets frequently show no sign that they have them! To determine infection, we can submit a pet’s fecal sample to our outside laboratory for evaluation.
The other parasite that is extremely common in this part of Oregon is the flea. ALL YEAR LONG we see pets that are suffering from them. Sometimes the infested animal is even one that is kept strictly indoors.
The products we carry and recommend most often work on both fleas and many of the intestinal parasites. For dogs we recommend Simparica Trio. Simparica Trio is a once a month flavored tablet that deworms for roundworms and hookworms, prevents heartworm, and protects against fleas and ticks. Before an adult dog can start on Simparica Trio we do a simple blood test to ensure they are not already infected with heartworm, which is spread by mosquitoes. Puppies less than 6 months of age do not require testing.
For cats, Revolution Plus is a monthly topical product that protects against fleas, ticks, roundworm, hookworm, heartworm and ear mites.
