Parasite Prevention

Why is parasite prevention so important? Parasites can cause many diseases, some life threatening.

  • diarrhea or soft stools
  • vomiting
  • lethargy
  • weight loss
  • poor coat
  • coughing and difficulty breathing

Parasites can cause primary disease by themselves and can make other conditions and illnesses worse. Some parasites are zoonotic, which means they can go from pets to people. Children are more prone to getting infections than are adults, because their hygiene habits are not completely developed. Some parasites can cause more severe infections in people than they would have in pets. So it is very important to follow your veterinarians’ recommendations on parasite prevention.

What are some common parasites in the Phoenix area? Ticks, heartworm, intestinal parasites, and less commonly fleas, are all found in the Phoenix area. Common intestinal parasites include hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, coccidia, and giardia.

General Deworming - There are some parasites that may not be detected with fecal testing, therefore a general dewormer is a great way to rid your pet of potential infections of common intestinal parasites. For new pets, puppies or kittens we will recommend a deworming treatment, followed by fecal testing to best evaluate if your new pet is parasite free. After this, we recommend giving your pet an easy to administer monthly parasite/heartworm preventive chew/pill.

Heartworm Prevention – Heartworm disease is prevalent all over the world. It is a very serious and potentially fatal disease in dogs. A monthly chew/pill heartworm preventative is an easy and affordable way to prevent this disease.

Heartworm Testing - This is a blood test that can be done in our office, with results in as little as 10 minutes. We recommend having this test before your pet is placed on monthly heartworm/parasite prevention and then again on a yearly basis.

Fecal Testing – Yearly testing of your pets fecal (poop) sample is recommended to evaluate for possible infections with intestinal parasites. Your pets fecal sample will be tested by a what is called a “fecal float” or “fecal evaluation by centrifugation”. These tests look for the microscopic eggs that parasites lay that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Fecal testing is important to prevent parasites, but is also very important if your pet has clinical signs of infection, such as diarrhea or vomiting.

Flea/Tick Preventative – These are once monthly preventatives that are applied to the skin between the shoulder blades. They will kill fleas and ticks already on your pet and help prevent more from biting your pet. This also helps prevents your pet from getting some diseases they may carry such as Tick Fever.

Tick Fever Screening - This is a blood test that can be done in our office, with results in as little as 10 minutes. We can test for tick fever and heartworm combined in one test. If your pet is sick, it may be best to send this bloodwork out to an outside lab for more extensive testing.