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 Interceptor  which can protect dogs from hookworms, roundworms, whipworms and heartworms! Interceptor is given once a month as a chewable pill and that is all there is to it.  Before starting dogs on Interceptor , 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.