 |
|||
|
|||
 |
|||
 |
Feline heartworm disease Cats become infected by mosquitoes too, however, fewer worms survive in the cat's heart. Because of the fewer number of worms, clinical signs are often not present. Most infected cats remain asymptomatic until sudden death of the cat occurs and heartworms are found on the postmortem exam. A simple blood test can determine if your cat has the worms, but isn't required prior to beginning Heartworm prevention. There is no FDA approved treatment at this time for cats and indoor cats are susceptible to the disease. | ||
 |
|||
 |
Whipworms Whipworms live in the dogs' large intestine and cecum. They can cause diarrhea, weight loss and dehydration. The eggs are difficult to detect in stool samples so the disease is difficult to diagnose. Continued use of Sentinel® and Interceptor® provides protection against this parasite. | ||
 |
Roundworms Roundworms are very common in dogs and cats. They live in the small intestine and feed on the pets' blood. Infection occurs with ingestion of eggs in the soil or mother's milk during nursing. Again, dogs are protected with continued use of Sentinel® and Interceptor®. | ||
 |
Tapeworms Tapeworms are found in dogs and cats. Usually the infection is detected by the pet owner noticing a white, rice-like worm in the stool. The tapeworm larvae is introduced into the pet when the pet ingests an infected flea. The tapeworm matures, lives in the small intestine and then sheds egg packets and segments. The only prevention is to rid the pet of its fleas. | ||
 |
Giardia Dogs and cats become infected by ingesting immature forms of the parasite in the environment, usually contaminated water. The trophozoites, protozoa, attach to the small intestine and cause diarrhea. Reduce access to standing or slow-flowing water to prevent. Treatment is a course of an intestinal antibiotic. | ||
 |
Fleas The archenemy of our pets, the flea just loves our South Texas weather and can be found on our pets year-round. When the flea bites our pets and takes its blood meal, it injects a small amount of saliva into the skin. The saliva causes an inflammatory reaction and an allergic reaction in pets suffering from FAD, Flea Allergy Dermatitis. The more the pet scratches the itchy spots, the more the affected areas itch. Hot Spots- hairless, raw, often runny infections are common. Luckily, Advantage® works exceptionally well at killing the little blood-suckers and improving our pets quality of life. |
||
 |
Ticks Speaking of blood-suckers, Ticks attach to the dog or cats' skin and feed. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, Erlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, potentially dangerous diseases which can cause death in dogs. South Texas is home to many species of Ticks and prevention is a simple topical monthly treatment. (Never use a hot match head to remove the tick, apply rubbing alcohol or a safe pyrethrin product to the tick, wait for it to back its head out of the skin, then using tweezers, pull the tick out by the head. Never touch the tick with your bare hands, you too are susceptible to tick-borne diseases.) |
||
