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Pets are threatened by a number of internal parasites that can rob
them of their nutrients, cause vomiting and/or diarrhea and some that
can even kill your pet! The most common parasites in our geographic area
are:
 Many
of these parasites may pose a threat to people as well! Fortunately, we
have the technology to detect, treat and prevent re-infestation by most
of the parasites that regularly affect our pets.
Our parasite control program begins with detection of the parasites.
Most internal parasites are not visible to the naked eye, so this must
be done through the use of microscopic stool examinations for intestinal
parasites and blood tests for heartworm infection.
When
we examine a stool specimen, we are looking for the eggs of the
parasites that are living in your pet's intestines. If we see the
characteristic eggs, we know the parasite is present and know how to
kill it. In the case of heartworms, the blood test checks for the
presence of certain proteins belonging to heartworms being present in
the blood
Treatment of internal parasites is done with a variety of drugs
depending on the parasite and its lifecycle. These drugs may be liquid,
tablet or injectable depending on the parasite in question.
Once we have successfully gotten rid of the parasite(s), then we can
turn to prevention of future infestation. Currently, we have available a
unique drug called Iverhart Plus which can protect dogs
from hookworms, roundworms, and heartworms! Iverhart
Plus is given once a month as a chewable pill and that
is all there is to it. Before starting dogs on Iverhart Plus
, it is necessary to do a heartworm blood test. This will make
certain that your pet is not carrying heartworms which might cause an
adverse reaction with the drug.
Unfortunately, we do not have a comparable product for cats.
Therefore we must rely on our detection and treatment to control their
parasites.
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