Flea, Tick, and Worm Preventatives

Preventatives are important year-round, whether or not your pet goes outside - humans can track in fleas from the ground, mosquitos can fly through open doors, rodents can transmit worms. Fleas can quickly infect your entire home, and a heavy flea burden is lethal, especially to young or small pets. Heartworms are almost always fatal, and treatment is exponentially more painful and expensive than prevention.

For Dogs
For dogs, we offer Revolution, Bravecto, and Tri-Heart. Revolution is a $15 liquid that we apply ($25 for dogs 85-130 lbs), and it covers fleas, ticks, mites, and worms. Bravecto is a $50 meat-flavored pill that we can send home, and it covers fleas and ticks. Tri-Heart is $25-40 for a six-month supply (depending on weight) and it prevents heartworms.

For Cats
We offer two types of preventative medicine for cats - Revolution and Bravecto Plus. Revolution is a liquid that goes down their back, and it protects from fleas, mites, and worms. We buy it in bulk and dose it out per patient, so it's only $5 per cat. However, that means that we can't send it home with you. The other option is Bravecto Plus. It's also a liquid, but it's packaged individually so you can take home. It covers fleas, ticks, and worms for two months and costs $50.

Why Heartworm Preventatives Are Important
Heartworms are unlike intestinal parasites as they live in the heart of the host. Heartworm treatment involves a medication that kills the worms, allowing the body to clear out the parasite. This treatment is very high-risk, as the bodies of the parasite can potentially clog the pathways within the heart. It is also incredibly painful, as the treatment is toxic, with the goal of killing the parasite without causing too much damage to the host. Heartworms come from mosquitos, and it only takes one bite to transmit the parasite. Preventatives are cheap and easy to take, and should be given year-round.