SactownVet

But is it really necessary?” It’s the question I hear so often when I make medical recommendations for my dog and cat patients—especially when it comes to parasite prevention. Here’s a secret: I don’t make recommendations that are unnecessary. It is my job to educate you on what will provide the best care for your pet. Now, it is quite possible that my recommendations don’t align with your goals for your pet, and that’s okay. It’s why you are a part of the decision-making process!

 

Let’s take parasite prevention as an example. It’s something I recommend for every single dog and cat no matter the lifestyle. It’s easily the recommendation that inspires the most colorful responses (I’m a car salesman, I’m recommending poison… I could go on, but you get the idea). Sometimes the recommendation is shot down so fast I don’t even get the opportunity to explain why it’s important. So now that I’ve got your attention, let me break down why parasite prevention is necessary.

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Fleas are literally everywhere. They can easily hitch a ride on you and sail right into your house to infest your indoor-only cats, so naturally they can easily infect your dogs that go outdoors. At best, they cause discomfort and itchiness for your pet. At worst? They spread awful diseases. Who wants the plague? I sure don’t. Did you know it’s in California and is spread by fleas?

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Okay fine, but what about ticks? Admittedly they may have a harder time getting into your house to infect your indoor-only pets, but good luck trying to keep them away from your pets going outside. The worst part of ticks? They can transmit diseases to your pet that you can never cure. These diseases can go undiagnosed for months and months and are only found when they’ve already wreaked havoc in your poor pet’s body. 

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Now heartworm is the big scare because it’s always bad when your pet gets infected. It’s transmitted by mosquitoes so all pets are at risk. Period. A mosquito just needs to bite an animal with heartworm then fly on over and bite your pet, too. Voila! It has been passed on! In Sacramento we are surrounded by coyotes, and it’s estimated that about 30% of the coyotes in our area have heartworm. So not only could your neighbor’s dog have heartworm, we’re surrounded by wildlife that does. Once heartworm is diagnosed, irreversible damage has already happened to your pet’s heart and lungs. If dogs are diagnosed early enough, it can be treated. Cats? Untreatable. 

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So I promise that when we recommend things for your pet, like parasite prevention, it’s in the best interest of your pet. It’s not about the money. In fact, we’d make more money treating your dog’s heartworm disease than we would selling preventatives. So we just really, truly want your pet to be healthy.