Get rid of those pesky critters.

Your pet is an easy target for parasites and small insects. Common parasites like fleas, ticks and heartworm-carrying mosquitoes feed on your pets, potentially infecting them with many dangerous diseases in the process. These tiny pests can cause big problems.

Fleas

Fleas feed on mammals and lay eggs in their fur. Fleas can transmit harmful parasites like tapeworms and murine typhus, and they can cause dermatitis and anemia. One flea can reproduce nearly 50 times a day, making a flea infestation a substantial threat to your pet’s well-being. Flea infestations often spread throughout your home. Fleas can make themselves comfortable in your carpet and furniture, making them tough to eradicate. It’s best to prevent fleas from bothering your pet in the first place by giving your pet flea preventative medication.

Ticks

Ticks are often found lurking in shrubs and tall grass. They attach to your pet, biting them and feeding on their blood. Ticks are serious threats to your pet’s health. A single tick bite can carry a host of potentially fatal diseases, including Lyme disease, typhus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis.

Although it’s rare, ticks can transfer from animals to humans, making any tick on your pet hazardous to you and your family. You should take special care to inspect your pet and yourself after any woodland activities, even if your pet is taking tick preventative medication.

Heartworm

Heartworm-carrying mosquitoes are a lethal danger to your pet. Mosquito bites transmit heartworm larva to your pet, and the larva then slowly develops over many months and makes its way toward the heart. Once there, it multiplies within your pet’s pulmonary artery and right ventricle, leading to constricted blood flow, heart and lung disease and major organ failure. While this disease is easy to prevent, treatment is difficult. Bay Animal Hospital recommends giving your pet heartworm preventative medication.

Schedule an appointment at Bay Animal Hospital immediately if you suspect that your cat or dog may already be infected.