THIS PAGE WAS DESIGNED TO KEEP OUR CLIENTS INFORMED OF ANY CLINIC NEWS AND ABREAST OF ANY NEW MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS THAT MAY HELP KEEP YOUR PET AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE.
March 18, 2008
News Flash!! News Flash!! News Flash!!
Happy Spring and Daylight Savings Time!!! Time is sure
flying and I can’t believe we are getting into warmer
weather already! As our long time clients know, the warm
weather brings out some of our pesky parasites that can
make our pets suffer….not only the scratching and
licking and general annoyance, but severe skin disease can
result from not adequately controlling these bugs.
Fleas are the most common external parasite of dogs and
cats, and one that seems to flourish despite our best efforts
to control their existence. However, we have a full arsenal
of products (only available through a licensed veterinarian),
that will help you and your pet make fleas a “non-issue”
during the peak seasons of spring and summer. We of course
carry Advantage, which is a very effective topical form
of flea control. We have found that consistent and proper
use of Advantage offers most of our patients excellent control
against fleas. This product can be applied every 3-4 weeks.
You should refrain from bathing your pet for 48 hours before
and after application to ensure that it has “seated”
well in the lipid or fat layer of the skin. Dogs who are
bathed frequently or who swim in your pool or the ocean
may experience some decrease in efficacy with Advantage.
Ticks also flourish in our area. Not only do these parasites
cause skin irritation and discomfort for your pet, but they
can also transmit some very serious illnesses during their
blood meal. In North Florida, tick “season”
generally is a 3 month stretch during the spring (March-May)
and a 3 month comparable stretch during the fall (September-November).
Ticks seem to thrive and are most active during the more
temperate weather of spring and fall. Some pet owners who
live in areas that have a large proportion of pine trees
and underbrush, may experience problems with ticks year
round. Frontline is a product that is useful for dogs who
may also be having some issues with ticks. Frontline, like
Advantage is a topical product that is applied once a month
and has good coverage against fleas and ticks. It also can
be used every 3 weeks if you are noticing a drop in efficacy
in the last week before your next application. Again, dogs
who are bathed frequently or dogs that swim a lot, may have
problems with this product providing adequate parasite control
for the full month. We are very excited to announce a new
flea product (it does NOT help control ticks), called COMFORTIS.
This is an oral pill that is also given to your pets once
monthly. This is an excellent product for any of our clients
whose pets swim frequently, or who must be bathed on a more
frequent time schedule due to other skin issues, or for
pets who are experiencing some resistance to our current
Advantage and Frontline topical products. Please let us
know if you would like to try the new monthly Flea pill,
COMFORTIS…..so far, the clients we have sent home
with this new weapon against fleas, have been extremely
pleased!!!!
Flies and mosquitoes and sand gnats are the last group of
pesky bugs that may be causing your pet discomfort and can
cause skin irritation and sometimes disease. We have found
that Advantix will handle a good portion of these flying
pests, but you may sacrifice some flea control with this
product. The addition of the fly/mosquito repellant has
made the flea control not work as well. Avon’s “Skin-So-Soft”
is an excellent alternative to use for your pet who needs
some help with fly/gnat/mosquito control. A light mist of
this product applied every 24 hours seems to provide some
excellent repellency for our dog and kitty friends.
We have expanded our options for you and your pet for heartworm
prevention. As all of you know, Canine and Feline Heartworm
disease is very, very prevalent in our area. These blood
worms mature in the heart and cause major organ failure
and death. They are transmitted by mosquitoes and can infect
both CATS and DOGS!!!!!!! This killer can be prevented by
giving your cat or dog a heartworm prevention pill once
monthly. We now carry two options for our dog patients….most
of you are familiar with “HEARTGARD”. This is
a chewable, beef-jerky type treat that contains the heartworm
preventative medicine as well as medication to help control
the most common intestinal parasites, hookworms and roundworms.
Most dogs love these chews, and it is a big favorite with
our clients. There is also a “HEARTGARD” chew
for cats as well. We strongly recommend our feline patients
be placed on heartworm prevention along with the dogs…..this
disease used to be very rare in cats, but it is now emerging
as a serious health threat for cats in areas that carry
a high endemic heartworm burden. We also carry a much lower
cost product called “IVERHEART”. This product
is actually a more comprehensive product and will help control
tapeworms as well. This product however, is not as “tasty”
and owners have complained that their dogs do not like the
taste and are having a hard time administering it. Because
the cost of “IVERHEART” is substantially less
than the “HEARTGARD”, and it provides a broader
spectrum of coverage for intestinal parasites, some clients
are willing to “administer” this medication
in a piece of hotdog, etc. “IVERHEART” does
not make a product for cats.
We are very excited to be starting our 11th year serving
the Nassau County area’s pet owners and their pets.
As always, our pursuit of excellent health care for your
cherished pets, remains our highest goal. If we are unable
to provide a satisfactory resolution to your problem, we
will make sure to refer you to our associated specialists
that will be better able to serve you and your pets needs.
Thank you for all your support and for trusting us to be
the health care provider for your family pets…..we
cherish the amazing gift of the human animal bond and all
the benefits and joys it brings to our lives.
If you have any questions, or you would like to make an appointment,
please give us a call at (904) 225-2050.
