Vet Answers about Pet Health

• Coughing
• Difficulty Breathing
• Sluggishness
• Reduced ability to exercise
• Loss of consciousness
• Sudden death
  
• Canine Heartworm Prevention

Using a good flea and tick control is the key to preventing fleas and ticks from being a problem for our pets.

Fleas and ticks bring on the Spring and Summer blues for our pets. Fleas and ticks are tough to control once we have an infestation, the key of course is prevention.  If you use a good flea and tick preventative on a regular basis then you won't have to worry about fleas and ticks on your pets or in your house.

There are a lot of options out there, we have outlined the products we would (and do) use. Another thing to remember is to treat all the pets, indoor and outdoor, in order to rid all the fleas from the area, otherwise you'll continue to be re-infested .

Advantage:

This is a great flea product from the Bayer Corporation. The active ingredient is imidacloprid. Advantage is a fast acting topical product that is meant to be used monthly. Within 12 hours 98% of fleas are dead or dying. This product will also kill flea larvae within 20 minutes and fleas are killed before they have a chance to lay eggs so the infestation stops here. Advantage is available for both dogs and cats and puppies as young as 7 weeks and kittens as young as 8 weeks.

AdvantageMulti:
This is an all in one product that Bayer has come out with called Advantage Multi(imidacloprid + moxidectin). It has the same ingredients as Advantage so it has a quick flea kill but has added medication to also kill Heartworms, Roundworms, Hookworms and Whipworms in Dogs. In Cats it kills Fleas, Heartworms, Roundworms, Hookworms and Ear Mites. It is also applied topically every 30 days.

K9 Advantix:

With a name like K9 Advantix it's obvious that this product is only to be used on dogs, never apply this product to cats. K9 Advantix is also made by the Bayer Corporation and contains both imidacloprid and permethrin. K9 Advantix kills and repels mosquitoes and ticks and stops fleas from biting in 5 minutes and kills fleas within one hour.

This product is a once a month topical that can be used on dogs and puppies as young as 7 weeks.

Frontline is manufactured by Merial. The active ingredient is (S)-methoprene. Frontiline Plus is quick acting and long lasting, it will kill fleas within 18 hours and ticks within 48 hours and last for one month.

This product kills adult fleas, flea larvae, and flea eggs as well as the brown dog tick, lone star tick, deer tick, and American dog tick. Frontline Plus can be used on dogs and cats as young as 8 weeks and on pregnant and nursing mothers. This product also boasts to be waterproof.

Frontline Spray quickly eliminates fleas and ticks, it kills all the fleas on the pet within 24 hours of application. Like the name implies it is a spray that is applied to the coat of the pet and continues to work for one month.

Frontline Spray can be used on dogs and cats as young as 8 weeks and is waterproof. I recommend this product a lot to multi-pet households who might not be able to afford a top spot flea treatment to every pet or households with barn cats.

Revolution is manufactured by Pfizer Animal Health. The active ingredient is selamectin. This is a once a month treatment that is applied between the shoulder blades. Revolution works to protect dogs against heartworms, fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, sarcoptic mange, and the American dog tick. Revolution works to protect cats against heartworms, fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, roundworms, and hookworms. Revolution can be used on dogs and cats as young as 6 weeks of age.

It is important when treating pets to follow label instructions.

Never apply a product labeled for a dog on a cat and vice versa.

Also, avoid those products you can purchase at department or grocery stores, We can promise you they don't work.  Another bad thing about these products is some of them use an ingredient that can be harmful to cats (cause seizures and death).  Stick with products you get through us. The great thing about the products we've outlined above is they are available through us and if you are not happy with them have a manufactures guarantee.

Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common allergy in dogs and is caused by flea bites, specifically the saliva of the flea. It is a very itchy disease and predisposes to the development of secondary skin infections.

Oddly enough, most animals with flea allergy have very few fleas – because they are so itchy, they groom themselves excessively, eliminating any evidence of fleas. However, a couple of flea bites every two weeks are sufficient to make a flea allergic dog itchy all the time. Any animal can become allergic to fleas, although some dogs are more attractive to fleas than others.

Fleas are bloodsucking insects with a life span of 6 to 12 months. This life span is influenced by environmental conditions and can vary from two to three weeks up to a year. Optimal conditions include humidity of 75 to 85 percent and temperature of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity is more important than the temperature. The adult flea spends most of its life on the host, while the immature stages (eggs) are found in the environment.

What to Watch For

To ensure that your kitten receives complete preventative care to protect against disease, we recommend a series of two visits.   During these visits, your kitten will receive all vaccinations needed to maintain good health.  In addition, a veterinarian will thoroughly examine your kitten to identify any potential problems.  

Because your kitten’s health and wellbeing will depend on more than just vaccinations, we will sit down and talk with you about caring for your kitten, behavior issues, and answer any questions you might have.  

Kitten series visits consist of: 

• Comprehensive Physical Exam
• Feline Leukemia and FIV testing
• Intestinal parasite (worm) testing and treatment
• Vaccinations:
  • Feline Calicivirus  
• • Feline Rhinotracheitis
  • Rabies  
• • Feline Leukemia
  • Panleukopenia 
• • Feline Herpevirus
• Pet owner counseling regarding pet care, housebreaking, behavior problems and socialization.