Fleas, Ticks & Heartworm

Fleas

Monthly Prevention is available for both dogs & cats (Both Prescription and Over the Counter Options Available)
A minimum of 3 months treatment given consecutively every 28 days is required to treat a flea outbreak on your pet and/or in your home
ALL pets within the household (even pocket pets like rabbits and guinea pigs) require treatment in the event of a flea outbreak
Fleas are a year-round issue in South Western Ontario. It is recommended to use a monthly flea prevention monthly from January to December.
Fleas can stay dormant in an environment for up to 1 year the pupa (baby fleas) will wait to hatch until they sense a blood meal.
Indoor only pets can still be at risk of getting fleas as they can be brought into the home on the clothes/shoes of human residents/guests, rodent visitors, or another household pet who does venture outdoors.
A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day

Monthly Prevention is available for both dogs & cats (Over the Counter Options Available for Dogs Only)
Ticks are active when temperatures creep above zero degrees celsius and survive through winter (not just survive, ticks can breed throughout winter as well!)
There are 5 types to ticks we are concerned about in South Western Ontario, including the kind that carry Lyme Disease
In South Western Ontario we most commonly see the American Dog Tick and the Deer Tick (Black Legged Tick). It is important to protect your pet and yourself against tick borne blood diseases like Ehrlichia, Anaplsma, and the most commonly spoken about Lyme Disease
We have treated multiple Ingersoll dogs for Lyme Disease and Ehrlichia. These ticks are in our area!
A female tick can lay up to 8000 eggs in one day
Ticks can transmit disease in as little as 24 hours
Lyme Disease affects both dogs and people

Monthly Prevention available for Dogs in both oral and topical options * Cats do NOT require heartworm prevention/testing
Heartworm is transmitted by mosquitos and passed to your dog when the mosquito bites and deposits heartworm larvae into the body
Monthly prevention strongly recommended from June - November
Annual Heartworm Test strongly recommended to ensure negative status prior to starting prevention in June of each year (This test is optional, however if forgoing the test and picking up prevention, a waiver must be signed stating that the owner is aware of the recommended testing prior to starting the product).
Heartworms are dangerous worms that travel through the bloodstream making home in the dogs heart. Over time, these worms create a blockage in the veins, arteries and chambers of the heart ending in catastrophic results for the host dog.

A test we preform in clinic with your dog, this test requires a very small blood sample be taken from your four-legged family member to run. This test will check your dog for heartworm infection as well as 5 tick borne diseases including Lyme Disease.
Appointments for this test can be scheduled with one of our Veterinary Technicians. The appointments take 10-15 minutes and you will leave knowing your pet's results and with your pet's prevention prescription.
This test is recommended yearly as Ingersoll is a tick hotspot
This test is required as per the manufacturers prescription prevention policy - this means that prior to being able to dispense your pet's prescription heartworm medication we need your dog to have had a 4DX test, or the Heartworm Waiver signed and returned to our office. This waiver simply states that you understand the company requires testing prior to our Doctor dispensing your pet's prescription and because the test is not being done the company will not be held responsible or cover the costs of treatment if you dog were to test positive for Heartworm Infection in the future.

Click this link to read our Heartworm Waiver

Found a Tick on Your Pet?

Remove the tick with a tick twister tool. Don't have one? Ask for your complimentary tick twister next time you pick up your pets prevention!

Not Sure what species the tick is? Not to worry, you can submit a photo for identification!

To Learn How To Identify a tick visit www.petsandticks.com. Click on "Ticks 101", then go to tick identification. The Pets and Ticks website has lots of evidence-based information on ticks relevant to you, your family and your pets.
To Submit A Tick visit www.etick.ca , click on "Submit ticks" at the top of the page. You can sign up or submit as a guest, fill in the requested information and you're done!