1.866.467.3875 • GoPetplan.com • GoPetplan.ca RUFF GUIDE: pesky parasites fleas The word alone spreads fear into the hearts of pet parents everywhere. The most common problem associated with fleas in our pets is flea allergic dermatitis (FAD). This itchy condition is caused by your pet’s reaction to the saliva that is injected into the skin when a bug bites. To make things worse, fleas don’t just cause itching and irritation — they can actually carry and transmit bacteria and other parasites (like tapeworms, ick!). ticks Although tall grass and wooded areas tend to be higher risk for ticks, city and suburban areas also harbor them. Besides being ruthless little blood-suckers, ticks actually carry and transmit a number of diseases to our pets — including Lyme, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, hepatozoonosis, feline cytauxzoonosis, babesiosis, tularemia (aka rabbit fever), anaplasmosis — the list goes on and on! heartworms When a mosquito carrying heartworm larvae bites a dog, the worms migrate through the body until fully grown. Initially the worms live in the arteries around the lungs, but eventually back up into the right chambers of the heart, where they can cause heart enlargement and congestive heart failure. Unfortunately, dogs show no symptoms in the early stages of heartworm disease. As the condition progresses, you may notice a slight cough and exercise intolerance. In severe cases, persistent coughing, weakness, trouble breathing and fainting can occur. Adult heartworms can measure up to 14 inches, and dogs with severe heartworm disease can harbor more than 50 worms! It is important to note that heartworm disease affects cats, too — even those who spend most of their time indoors. Because it only takes one mosquito bite to transmit the disease, it’s essential to protect your feline family members, too — there is no treatment for heartworm disease in cats. Detecting the disease is particularly frustrating in our feline friends because clinical signs often mimic other conditions. Often times, sudden death occurs without warning. prevention All of the pests mentioned above are entirely avoidable when pet parents take the proper precautions. Flea, tick and heartworm preventives are a must — not just in the spring and summer, but every month of the year. Most heartworm preventives also contain medications for intestinal parasites like roundworms and hookworms, and sometimes more depending on the brand. Ask your the scratch on parasites that pester our pets They creep, they crawl — they can make our pets miserable! Parasites are the pits. Even if your pet never puts a paw outside, he or she can still pick up some pesky pests. In this month’s Health Tip, we worm our way into the world of bugs to give you the buzz on preventing parasites. Read on as we dissect pests like fleas, ticks and heartworms (oh, my!). dr. kim smyth explains common conditions caused by tiny biters sniff out more info on this topic! Visit the url below or scan the code at right. www.GoPetplan.com/Jun2014-health-tip june | bug off!