We’re hoping to start a monthly newsletter focused on topics that we think are important! This is the first in that series and I would love feedback on your thoughts for future topics! We will also be posting these as topics on our coming soon Blog section on the website called “Doctor’s Notes”.
The first topic is one near and dear to my heart- infectious diseases we see and a chat about monthly preventatives for our canine and feline friends as we head towards warmer months. Hopefully this also serves a reminder to administer your monthly preventatives.
In 2024 we saw some staggering numbers in both tickborne and intestinal parasite testing, and I want to make sure that everyone has what they need to understand these diseases, the risks they play to our pets and our best prevention strategies. In the past year we saw 29.3% of our population testing positive for anaplasmosis (that is 1 in 3 dogs!) and 15% of our population testing positive for lyme disease. These tests indicate exposure to disease and though a number of animals will self-clear these infections there are still many pets who become clinically ill or even terminally ill from tickborne infections.
The best strategy when facing tickborne disease is prevention. In dogs we are lucky to have a vaccine against Borellia borgdorferi which is the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in dogs. If your dog is not currently vaccinated against Lyme disease that is something I strongly recommend. We do not have any vaccines for tickborne disease in cats (yet) or other tickborne diseases in dogs and therefore must rely on preventative treatment options to repel or kill ticks.
There are two broad categories of tick preventatives: oral and topical. Both have their merits as well as their drawbacks and so choosing a product that works for you and your pet is important, and we are willing to help figure out what that might be. A general recommendation is going to be towards the oral flea/tick preventatives as they have a faster speed of kill and higher efficacy rates. They are incredibly safe for the vast majority of pets. I recommend year round medication with flea, tick and intestinal parasite prevention as we can see ticks anytime the temperature rises above 35*F for even 1-2 hours. Currently this is happening usually at least one day in every month. I pulled a tick off of one of my own dogs on New Years Eve this year!
In terms of intestinal parasite control, most preventative products that are used as “heartworm” medications are actually broad-spectrum preventatives for intestinal parasites. We are lucky that right now we see very few cases of endemic heartworm disease but should consider these products to me more than just preventing heartworm. In 2024 1 in 20 patients tested in our region was positive for roundworms (which are zoonotic and can spread to people!) this means that roundworms are in our community and being spread in dog and cat feces. Our monthly preventatives will also help to contain these types of infections and prevent their spread to four-legged or two-legged friends and family. I also recommend year round prevention with these monthly dewormers for both dogs and cats.
Finally, I wanted to let everyone know that the much anticipated “all-in-one” preventative for dogs has arrived. A product I have been watching through development called Credelio Quattro; this monthly oral medication does fleas, ticks, roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms and heartworm prevention. There are so many other products available that might be the best fit for your pets- so let us know if you need help deciding the best preventative strategy for your pets.
In closing, I hope we can get everyone’s pet on an appropriate preventative plan. Please feel free to reach out to the office via e-mail, text or phone or to email me anytime.
Happy Tails,
Dr. Welsh
Drwelsh@lakeplacidanimalhospital.com