Posts in Category: Fleas Ticks & Heartworm

Heartworm disease is a real and present threat to California pets, but one that is seemingly invisible. That is, until it affects your family.

Understanding what heartworm disease is and how we can help to protect our pets is an important part of good pet wellness care. MarketPlace Veterinary Hospital is honored to help educate our readers on this topic. 

If you’re like many other pet owners, you believe that fall is an excellent time to take a break from administering monthly parasite prevention medication to your pet. Unfortunately, our temperate climate makes it so that fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes don’t ever take a break during the fall and winter. On the contrary, they remain a threat to pet health all year long. Year-round flea and tick prevention is the only way to safeguard a pet’s health, and we’ve got you covered. 

April is Heartworm Awareness Month. Maybe—hopefully—you already give your dog or cat their heartworm prevention medication regularly. But we believe it’s important to learn what heartworm disease is and why this preventive medicine is critical to your pet’s health. 

There’s a lot of ways to ruin a day, and chief among them definitely include a flea infestation or a tick bite. Both have the potential to cause serious problems in pets and people alike. As with most things in life where there is a clear and obvious solution, it is critical to address parasite prevention long before these bugs cause the unfortunate symptoms for which they are notorious.

There are few moments worse than finding a tick on your pet’s body. Who knows how long the tick has been feasting on their blood, and potentially spreading disease? 

The best defense against tick bites in pets is to maintain their year-round parasite prevention medication. Avoiding obvious tick habitats is key, too, although sometimes ticks end up in unlikely places. Inspecting your pet’s coat and skin every day is necessary, but do you know what to do if you ever find a tick feasting on them?

It’s not unheard of for a pet to pick up a single flea while at the park, hunting mice, or when socializing with other pet friends. In fact, these tiny parasites are ubiquitous even without close proximity to nature. Once you spot a single flea, however, a full-on infestation may be just around the corner. Staying on top of your pet’s parasite preventative is essential, but this friendly reminder isn’t always helpful when a pet has fleas and is battling the associated symptoms.