Put your pet on a worm preventative, PLEASE READ!!

[charmingnancy]

As I discussed in another thread, my 3 year old, Bo, had a visit to the vet this past weekend. I got a phone call today telling me that while his blood test was fine, his fecal test showed that he has hook worms (on a scale of 1-4, he is at a 2 as far as severity). I have not had him on any kind of worm preventative, so it wasn't a complete shock. So I went back to the vet and got him medication (Dontral Plus) to treat the hook worms (which cost $65 ), and a 6 month supply of Heartgard (another $40). We will soon have to have our other dog tested, because they said that it is likely that he has it, too.

I now know that this could have been prevented, so I'm posting this to let you all know that it can easily happen to your pet.

Here is some info about hook worms, causes and preventatives
www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&articleid=747

[DogGoneGood]

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this

Yes, any kind of worms can be prevented now-a-days and this is also why it is important to make an appointment at least once a year to have a full phyiscal done for your dog at the Vets.

Other than preventative medications, you can also help prevent worms by controling your dogs environment. It is important to do at least a weekly clean up of your yard (how often you do this depends on your dog and how many dogs you have) to remove any fecel matter. Also keep any eye out for any dead animals that may end up in your yard (mice, birds, squirrels etc.). This is especially important if you have outdoor/indoor cat(s) that may bring home dead mice
It is also important to keep an eye on your dog when outside of your property. Personally, I'm not a big fan of off leash dog parks and disease/parasites is one of the reasons. You just don't know what other dogs may have and whether or not they've been meidcated/vaccinated for preventation or treatment. In fact, it's best to keep your dog on leash at all times outside of your property to make sure he doesn't find anything infested with parasites that he may gulp down (as well as for his own safety when it comes to cars, other dogs/animals etc.).