“Heartworms, Fleas, Ticks Oh My!”
Posted April 25th, 2008
Attention Pet Lovers:
Spring is upon us and not only does the warm weather in Minnesota bring us road construction and detours, but also the nasty little parasites that will try to infect our pets with disease. It is up to us to do everything possible to protect our pets from heartworm, tick borne diseases (ie. lyme disease, anaplasmosis), flea infestation and other intestinal parasites. All it takes is one mosquito or tick to infect a pet with disease, this is why we recommend that all pets, indoors and out, be on a monthly heartworm preventative. For those pets that also go outdoors, get groomed, go to dog parks or are kenneled a flea & tick preventative is also recommended.
To help address the individual needs of all our cat and dog patients we offer a variety of safe and effective heartworm, flea and tick preventatives. Our staff will discuss with you the options available for your pet, based on their individual needs.
Dogs are required to be tested once per year (preferrably in the early spring) to make sure they did not get infected in the previous season due to a missed dose or incomplete ingestion of the preventative. Detecting heartworm disease in the early stages will help minimize the damage caused by these parasites so this is very important. .
Even indoor only cats can become infected with heartworm disease.



