Fleas, ticks, and heartworm aren't just gross - they transmit serious diseases. Year-round prevention is simpler, cheaper, and far safer than treating the consequences.
Fleas: The Relentless Pest
Fleas reproduce explosively and can infest your home within days. They cause itching, skin infections, and transmit tapeworms. Monthly preventives break the cycle before it starts.
Ticks: The Disease Vectors
Ticks transmit Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis - serious conditions that can be fatal. Check your dog thoroughly after walks in wooded or grassy areas, especially behind the ears, between toes, and under the collar.
Heartworm Facts: Spread by mosquito bite, heartworm larvae grow into foot-long worms in the heart and lungs. Treatment is painful and expensive - prevention is one monthly dose.
Build Your Prevention Routine
- Monthly heartworm prevention - year-round, every month.
- Flea and tick prevention - topical, oral, or collar, per your vet.
- Annual heartworm test - required before continuing prevention.
- Home management - vacuum regularly and wash bedding often.
Talk to Your Vet
Your vet selects preventives based on your region, your dog's lifestyle, and their health history. Never use a heartworm preventive without a negative test, and never combine preventives without approval.
Parasites are more than itchy annoyances - some are deadly. A year-round prevention plan protects your dog.6
