Parasite Control

There are several types of intestinal parasites that infect most puppies and kittens and can commonly infect adult animals.  These parasites and other organisms live inside the pet and produce eggs too small to be seen with the naked eye that pass in your pet’s feces. We use a microscope to look for these parasites in your pet’s stool. Some parasites found in dogs and cats can also infect humans, sometimes leading to serious medical conditions. Detection and prevention are the best courses of action to protect your children and family. We recommend an annual fecal test and Interceptor for a monthly dewormer.  In some cases, we may need to give a different dewormer at the annual exam. The best time to test your pet for internal parasites is at the annual exam.  Just bring in a small, fresh stool sample.   If your pet is infected, the doctor will choose the correct medication to treat your pet.

Puppies and kittens are usually infected with internal parasites that are passed on from their mother either before they are born (puppies) or in the mother’s milk and environment after they are born (both puppies and kittens).  We recommend a two part deworming session and testing to confirm the parasites have been successfully eradicated.

Heartworm Prevention

Heartworms are transferred to a pet by mosquitoes carrying the heartworm larvae. The larvae live in the pet’s bloodstream, travel to the heart, and take six months to develop into an adult heartworm. These adult heartworms look like spaghetti. They clog the heart, eventually leading to heart failure.

To prevent heartworm, our doctors have chosen Interceptor medication since it safely kills the heartworm in the larval stage. Besides preventing heartworm, Interceptor also kills roundworms and hookworms, thereby protecting both your dog and your family from those intestinal parasites, which can cause disease in humans. A six-month lapse in medication will allow the larvae to develop into an adult heartworm and lodge in the heart. If this development occurs, a different, more expensive treatment plan is required.

Dogs:

1. All puppies begin Interceptor preventative at sixteen weeks of age. They should remain on this monthly preventative for the rest of their life. Puppies that start Interceptor at less than six months of age will not need to be tested if they are consistently given the medication each month.
2. We recommend heartworm testing if a dog is older than six months of age and has never had the preventative or it’s been over six months since the last dose was given.
3. Dogs that remain on Interceptor consistently (never more than a six-month lapse in coverage) will be approved for Interceptor renewal each year.

Cats are still considered in a low risk heartworm category in Multnomah County . Therefore, we do not recommend testing cats for heartworms or giving the monthly preventative.