At Animal Medical Center of Woodland Park, we want to maintain your pet’s overall health and well-being so they can live
happier & healthier
lives. Determining if your pet has been infected by parasites can be a tricky task, especially when many parasites do not cause physical symptoms. That is why we recommend yearly testing and monthly preventatives to provide your dog or cat with optimal parasite prevention.
Intestinal Parasites We Treat
Intestinal parasites are those that actually reside within your pet’s intestines. In Woodland Park, CO, we commonly see roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms, and giardia infect pets through their eggs. This type of parasite can infect both outdoor and indoor pets, as their eggs can be unintentionally brought into your home on shoes or clothing. These parasites can also affect your human family’s health as well, but often don’t present any outward symptoms in pets which is why having them tested each year is vital to maintaining the well being of your companion and your human family as well.
Common External Parasites
Fleas and ticks are the most common external parasites we treat at Animal Medical Center of Woodland Park. These pesky parasites can be found in outdoor environments including backyards, dog parks, and on walks. You may also accidentally bring fleas or ticks into your home and potentially expose your indoor pet, too. Fleas and ticks can cause itching, hair loss, allergies, anemia, and skin infection, transfer other parasites, or spread disease including Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease. Cat and dog flea and tick prevention is a year round concern, and our veterinarians can recommend the best preventative to keep fleas and ticks away from your pet and out of your house!
Heartworms
Heartworms are a type of parasitic roundworm which infects your pet’s heart and causes heartworm disease, a potentially fatal disease if left untreated. Infected dogs and cats may not show symptoms until the disease has progressed, but the symptoms include:
- Unwillingness to exercise (dogs)
- Vomiting (cats)
- Weight loss
- Low energy after moderate activity (dogs)
- Coughing
- Asthma attacks (cats)
- Little to no appetite
Heartworm disease is commonly spread via the bite of an infected mosquito, and despite pets being unable to directly spread the disease to each other, infected pets can become a source of infection to other pets living in close quarters. An official diagnosis can be confirmed through a blood test, or if there isn’t a significant amount of heartworm antigen, additional diagnostics such as radiographs (X-rays) or echocardiograms may be performed. We can also provide heartworm treatment to pets who test positive for the disease. Providing your pet with heartworm prevention medication is the best way to avoid infection, but you may also try to limit your pet’s exposure to mosquitos altogether.
What do you know about parasites?
