Fleas, ticks, heartworms, intestinal worms… so many nasty bugs you don’t want in or on your pet! But with literally dozens of products to choose from, how do you pick the best one for your dog or cat?
Let’s try to narrow it down based on what your pet’s specific needs are and what you prefer in a product . You can click on many of the products mentioned to go to a page with more information.
Dogs:
Heartworms: All dogs need to be on a heartworm preventive. All of them, even the little Chihuahuas who “never go outside.” Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes, which can get into your house and bite your dog. We’ve treated all kinds of dogs for heartworms; little dogs, hairy dogs, house dogs – they can all still get exposed to mosquitoes. To learn more about heartworms in dogs, visit the American Heartworm Society’s page. Heartworm preventives also treat some types of intestinal worms that commonly infect dogs, which is one of the reasons we recommend giving them year round.
Our favorite heartworm preventive is a product called Sentinel. Sentinel is a monthly chewable tablet that prevents heartworms, treats and control whipworms, hookworms and roundworms, and prevents flea eggs from hatching. It does not kill adult fleas, but it will prevent the occasional flea your dog picks up from being able to reproduce and cause a major problem.
Fleas & ticks: We have several good products for fleas and ticks, it just depend on if you prefer to give a chewable tablet or put a collar on the pet. Bravecto is a chewable treat that kill fleas, prevents flea infestations, and kills ticks for up to 12 weeks. Nexgard is another chewable tablet- it kills fleas and ticks for 30 days. A Seresto collar lasts for eight months and kills fleas and kills and repels ticks.
Intestinal worms: The best way to prevent intestinal worms in dogs is to keep them on a monthly product like Sentinel. If your dog isn’t on one of these products, or gets infected with a type of worm that the monthly products don’t treat, such as tapeworms, then you will need to give a dewormer medication. Any time a dog has had fleas they are at risk for having tapeworms, since the flea is the host for the tapeworms. If you ever see small, white or cream colored worms in your dog’s stool or stuck to their fur, those are tapeworms. Once dried out they look almost like grains of rice. The most commonly dispensed dewormer at our clinic is Drontal Plus. This tablet treats roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms. These worms can make your dog sick, and some of them can be transmitted to humans. Here is an excellent page with information on parasites in pets and the risks to humans: Parasite Overview.
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Cats:
Fleas: Fleas can make your cat miserable, cause skin problems, tapeworms, and even anemia if left untreated. If your cat is strictly an inside cat and you just need flea control, there are several good products you can use. Bravecto is a topical solution for cats kills fleas and ticks and lasts for 12 weeks with one application A Seresto collar is a time-release collar for cats that kills fleas and ticks for eight months. Credelio is a monthly chewable tablet that kills fleas and ticks. Capstar is a pill that works very quickly and thoroughly, but only stays in the cat’s system for about 24 hours, so it is not a long term flea control solution.
Ticks: Ticks are an extremely serious issue in cats in this area of NWA, as they can transmit a deadly disease known as Cytauxzoonosis. Therefore it is crucial to keep a tick preventive on every cat that goes outdoors.
If you have a cat that starts exhibiting signs of illness such as lethargy, fever, not eating, jaundice (yellow color to skin), or difficulty breathing, you need to get the cat to a veterinarian as quickly as possible. These are signs of infection with the Cytauxzoon organism, which is often fatal and needs to be treated aggressively for the cat to have a chance of survival. Click here to read more information on Cytaux.
Intestinal worms: If your cat is strictly indoors and never has fleas you probably won’t have to worry about giving a dewormer. For cats who go outside we generally recommend deworming them every six to twelve months. Any time a cat has had fleas they are at risk for having tapeworms, since the flea is the host for the tapeworms. If you ever see small, white or cream colored worms in your cat’s stool or stuck to their fur, those are tapeworms. Once dried out they look almost like grains of rice. We have two options for treating worms in cats. One is a tablet called Drontal, the other is a topical “spot-on” product called Profender that is applied to the back of the cat’s neck. Both medications treat tapeworms, roundworms and hookworms. These worms can make your cat sick, and some of them can be transmitted to humans. Here is an excellent page with information on parasites in pets and the risks to humans: Parasite Overview.
Heartworms: Heartworm disease in cats is not as straightforward as it is in dogs. Cats are much less susceptible to heartworms than dogs, but they can be infected. It can be impossible to definitively diagnose heartworms in cats and there is no treatment once a cat is infected. We carry Revolution Plus which is a monthly spot-on product that prevents heartworms, kills fleas, and treats and control roundworms, hookworms and ear mites. For more information on heartworm disease in cats, visit the American Heartworm Society’s page.
