As the weather warms up and flowers start to bloom parasites are on the move. Larvae begin to hatch, fleas begin to jump, and mosquitoes are on the move putting your family and pets at risk. Which means now is the time to protect pets against heartworm, intestinal parasites and fleas and ticks. Here are some facts about parasitic zoonoses and heartworm infections:
- Zoonotic disease are primarily in animals and can be transmitted to people.
- Most infections occur through soil contaminated with infected eggs and larvae.
- Children are the most at risk for disease transmission.
- An estimated 10,000 cases of human round worm infections occur each year, with more than 700 resulting in vision loss, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC*).
- Heatworms are transmitted from animal to animal by mosquitoes. The larvae migrate through the body reaching the blood vessels of the lungs. Once mature they enter the heart where they continue to grow, growing up to 14″ in length. In time this will result in severe lung and heart disease.
- The Treasure Valley had 27 positive heartworm cases in dogs in 2007 alone and approximately 20 cases in 2008.
Here are 3 steps to protect your family and pets:
- Drop a fresh stool sample off at our hospital and we will call you with the results. The CDC* recommends a microscopic fecal exam twice a year for each pet. This is especially important if you have children in your home.
- Start your pet on a monthly parasite prevention program. We carry two monthly prevention options: Iverhart Max, a once-a-month oral tablet that protects against heartworms and most intestinal parasites; and Revolution, which is apples topically and protects against most intestinal parasites, heartworms, fleas and ticks.
- Set up an appointment today to have your pet tested for heartwom infection. This only requires a quick and simple blood test.