Intestinal Parasite and Heartworm Testing
Intestinal Parasite Testing:
Yearly fecal exams are an important part of keeping your pet healthy. We at Best Friends recommend a fecal exam at each wellness visit. Fecal exams help test for a variety of intestinal parasites such as Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and Tapeworms. Some of which can be transferred to humans.
Intestinal parasites are most commonly found in puppies and kittens and can be treated with a dewormer medication. If not treated, parasites can be deadly. They can cause dehydration through excessive vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss. At minimum, parasites can stress your pet and cause un-thriftiness.
Heartworm Testing:
Heartworms are a dangerous parasite that can lead to heart failure, organ damage, lung disease, and death in pets. These worms mature in the bloodstream and tissues and migrate to the heart where they grow, eventually constricting the blood flow and preventing the muscles of the heart from working properly. Just one heartworm in a cat can be deadly! Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes and year round prevention is recommended as ‘best medicine’, as preventatives work best when given year round. Most professional veterinary medical organizations recommend year-round prevention for the disease.
The best treatment for heartworm is prevention! In most cases, you will spend less over the life of your pet on monthly heartworm prevention than it would cost to treat it. Aside from the cost, heartworm treatment can be invasive and very hard on pets. To kill the infestation, the doctors need to inject a parasiticide into the bloodstream. Once the infestation is dead, it takes weeks, if not months, for the worms to break up in the bloodstream and leave the body. During this treatment period, your pet is at risk of developing life-threatening blood clots or lung disease. This means highly restricted activity for many months.
We at Best Friends recommend year round parasite prevention. Did you know that we also recommend year round flea and tick prevention?
For dogs we offer:
- Heartgard Plus
- Nexgard
- Simparica Trio
- Frontline Gold
- Revolution Plus
For cats we offer:
- Heartgard Plus
- Frontline Gold
- Revolution Plus
Ask your doctor which prevention would be right for your pet. There are even some products that offer both parasite prevention and flea and tick prevention!
Get Your Pet Tested Today
If you are concerned your pet has parasites or would like to schedule a routine test for wellness purposes, please contact us at (847) 548-2626.