Parasite Prevention: NOW OFFERING ANNUAL INJECTIONS!

The importance of heartworm, flea, tick, and intestinal parasite prevention is a continued conversation for all of our patients at every appointment. There are a lot of options out there now to protect your pets that are also easy to administer. We offer a variety of products for both canine and feline patients with competitive pricing and rebates. It is important to note that most over-the-counter medications are not safety tested and are also ineffective. We recommend using veterinary prescription products ONLY, which not only go through rigorous safety and efficacy testing but also offer guarantees if for some reason the product did not work.

When deciding which preventative products to keep your pet on, it can be a bit overwhelming so here's a basic breakdown on the different types of parasites and the recommendations and options for preventatives:

CANINE PARASITES

Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is transmitted by mosquitos. It only takes ONE bite from ONE infected mosquito to transmit the disease to your dog. We recommend that ALL dogs, regardless of lifestyle, stay on year-round preventative for heartworm disease. This is because even if your dog does not even go outside to potty (i.e.: pee-pad trained), mosquitos can still get into your home. Although here in Michigan, mosquito risk is lower in the winter months, it is not zero--especially in recent years where weather has been milder or more unpredictable with mosquitos still documented in early December. It's also important to note that monthly heartworm preventatives work "backwards", meaning they prevent the disease by deworming for exposures that happened the month previous. That means if your dog was exposed to an infected mosquito in December and you did not give them their prevention in January, they would become infected with the disease.

We carry ORAL monthly preventative products for heartworm disease as well as "Proheart 12", which is an annual injection (one injection lasts for one year) heartworm preventative.

We typically recommend the Proheart-12 injection for our patients to avoid having to remember to give a medication every month...it takes the risk out of missing a dose! Cost-wise, it also works out to be cheaper than purchasing a year of oral heartworm preventative at once, though we recognize that cost constraints may limit individuals to purchasing products on a monthly basis. Company rebates are typically available for oral products that are purchased in 6-dose packs and 12-dose packs.

Our in-clinic oral heartworm preventative options include*:

-Heartworm Plus (also includes intestinal parasite prevention).

-Interceptor Plus (also includes intestinal parasite prevention).

-Simparica Trio (also includes intestinal parasite, AND flea & tick prevention).

*all oral canine heartworm preventatives are given on a monthly basis.

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas and ticks are a year-round concern for dogs as well. Dogs that spend more time outside are more likely to encounter fleas and ticks; however, it does happen that owners carry flea eggs or larvae from the yard in on their shoes, adult fleas on their clothes, or even adult ticks crawling on themselves after spending some time outside that then crawl on their pets. Other pets in the home, including cats, can bring external parasites like fleas & ticks into the home as well. We recommend year-round flea and tick prevention for all dogs that spend significant time outdoors but especially those that spend time in the woods, at parks, on trails, boarding, or at dog parks, and all field/sporting dogs. The peak flea season typically occurs in mid-summer, but fleas can survive on wildlife and indoors throughout the year. Treating year-round prevents infestations from making their way into your home. It's important to note that in order to effectively treat an active flea infestation in your home, all pets in the home must be on a flea preventative product for a MINIMUM OF THREE MONTHS CONSECUTIVELY in order to break the life cycle of the flea.

Ticks are most active during the warmer months but can become active whenever temperatures rise a degree above freezing, even in the dead of winter.

We carry ORAL preventative products for fleas and ticks as well as "Bravecto Quantum", which is an annual injection (one injection lasts for one year) flea & tick preventative.

We typically recommend the Bravecto Quantum injection for our patients to avoid having to remember to give a medication every month. Cost-wise, it also works out to be cheaper than purchasing a year of oral flea/tick preventative at once, though we recognize that cost constraints may limit individuals to purchasing products on a monthly basis. Company rebates are typically available for oral products that are purchased in 6-dose packs and 12-dose packs.

Our in-clinic oral flea & tick preventative options include:

-Simparica (monthly. flea & tick ONLY).

-Simparica Trio (monthly. also includes intestinal parasite, AND heartworm prevention).

-Bravecto (one dose lasts 3 months. flea & tick ONLY).

FELINE PARASITES

Fleas and ticks are a year-round concern for cats as well. Cats that spend more time outside are more likely to encounter fleas and ticks; however, it does happen that owners carry flea eggs or larvae from the yard in on their shoes, adult fleas on their clothes, or even adult ticks crawling on themselves after spending some time outside that then crawl on their pets. Other pets in the home, including dogs, can bring external parasites like fleas & ticks into the home as well. We recommend year-round flea and tick prevention for all cats that spend significant time outdoors but especially those that are indoor-outdoor, outdoor only, or board or travel. The peak flea season typically occurs in mid-summer, but fleas can survive on wildlife and indoors throughout the year. Treating year-round prevents infestations from making their way into your home.

It's important to note that in order to effectively treat an active flea infestation in your home, all pets in the home must be on a flea preventative product for a MINIMUM OF THREE MONTHS CONSECUTIVELY in order to break the life cycle of the flea.

Ticks are most active during the warmer months but can become active whenever temperatures rise a degree above freezing, even in the dead of winter.

There are currently no injectable flea & tick prevention options available for cats, but we do carry two different TOPICAL options. Company rebates are typically available for topical products that are purchased in 6-dose packs and 12-dose packs but can be purchased on a monthly basis as well.

Our in-clinic topical feline flea & tick preventative options include:

-Revolution Plus (monthly. includes intestinal parasite prevention).

-Bravecto Plus (one dose lasts 3 months. includes intestinal parasite prevention).