Veterinary Services
Pet Parasite Prevention & Control in Ottumwa, IA
Parasites like fleas, ticks, and heartworms are not to be taken lightly. Infections like Lyme disease can be easily transmitted, heartworms can cause internal organ damage, and in extreme cases, death may result. Fortunately, proper use of veterinary medicine can prevent your pet from ever having these diseases and repercussions, and it is up to you as their owner to help protect them.
Fleas live on a host, often pet dogs and cats, stray cats, or wild rabbits. These hosts then drop flea eggs wherever they go like a little walking salt shaker. Your pet travels through these areas making them the unsuspecting target for fleas. Because there is no seasonality to fleas, we recommend using prevention all year. There are several topical products that have continued to work well for us. These products are Revolution, Revolution plus, and Bravecto for cats. These products are applied between the shoulder blades, working through the oil glands to fight against all stages of the flea. While these products do work very well for us, one disadvantage is that your pet does need to stay dry for a period of time. This can be very difficult for dogs that live outdoors or need frequent bathing. They can also temporarily leave an oily residue on the coat. For some patients, topical preventatives are not the ideal product. We now also carry a chewable product designed to kill BOTH fleas and ticks. Our chewable products are very palatable. It kills fleas before they can lay eggs, thus preventing infestations. Just as Revolution and Vectra, Bravecto and 3D NexGard are also good for 30 days after administration.
Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes. The mosquitoes inject microscopic worms into the body which mature between the right side of the heart and the lungs. As the microscopic worm grows, the heartworm creates heart disease and induces failure. To read about heartworm disease and its associated risks, please visit www.heartwormsociety.org. Before starting any heartworm prevention, a blood test is required to be certain that the dog is not heartworm positive. Once we confirm this negative diagnosis, then we start a once-monthly heartworm preventative. We carry two main products to prevent heartworm disease- Heartgard Plus and Interceptor. Both of these products not only prevent heartworm disease but also provide intestinal parasite dewormer as well.
Ask our staff what the best options are for your pet today!