As Warmer Weather Nears, Be Sure to Prevent Heartworms, Fleas, and Ticks

This is a photo of the flea most commonly found on our kitty and doggie friends.

Since The Weather is Warming Up…

As the temperatures increase through spring and into summer, fleas, ticks, and  heart worms become even more prevalent. Be sure that you are administering your pet’s heart worm preventive as well as flea and tick preventives.
In one study performed by Dr. James Greenwell, DVM, eighty percent of pets with heart worm disease were NOT taking any heart worm preventive. An interesting part of that study showed that the other twenty percent of patients with heart worms were taking preventive but at the wrong dose. Clients would purchase a size smaller than their pet’s actual weight. A few times, patients would gain a significant amount of weight and the pet parents would purchase the wrong size medication. These mistakes are almost always made online as the internet companies do not know your pets as well as we do.
When we dispense medications from our hospital, we always will double check your pet’s weight to be sure they are receiving a dosage that will actually protect them. Our manufacturers also provide some guarantees, please ask us for details as there are certain rules that do apply.
Below is a photo of two ticks. Adult female (left) and male (right) Amblyomma maculatum, the Gulf Coast tick.  Adults of Amblyomma maculatum are some of the largest ticks in North America.  Originally restricted to lands along the Gulf of Mexico, this tick can now be found as far north as Kansas and Oklahoma.

Picture

Be sure to check your supply and give the preventives every month. If you have any questions or concerns, call Dr. James Greenwell, or his helpful staff, at 214-547-8387.
For more photos of parasites of dogs, cats, pigs, cattle, and horses, visit the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology