We recommend that all dogs be on a monthly preventative product to protect them against fleas, ticks and heartworm (depending on the time of year). We have seen a large increase in the number of ticks in Southern Ontario over the last few years, and in turn a huge increase in tickborne diseases (Lyme in particular). Any temperatures above freezing (O ℃), ticks can be active! For this reason, we recommend that dogs be on a preventative product throughout the year as our winter temperatures are inconsistent and mild. Most tick preventative products also include flea prevention/treatment, which is very important especially in our warmer months but also beneficial year-round as fleas can stay dormant indoors for months at a time. These preventative products come in chewable oral tablets, as well as topical products which can be recommended to you by our team based on your pet’s lifestyle and needs!

As for heartworm prevention, we recommend use of a monthly preventative product from June to November at a minimum, and perhaps longer depending on lifestyle and other factors. Heartworm is carried by mosquitos, and transmitted when a mosquito bites your dog. It is a possibly fatal disease that is far easier to prevent than to treat. Before starting on a heartworm preventative, it is important to test for the presence of heartworm in your dog. As we do see heartworm cases that originate in Southern Ontario (this is on the rise as well), we perform annual testing for heartworm as well as three tickborne diseases in the spring before starting on heartworm prevention for the season. This is a small blood test run in clinic, with results given within 10 minutes! Heartworm prevention often comes in combination with flea/tick prevention, but there are also preventative products available for heartworm specifically. Products can be recommended to you by our team based on your pet’s lifestyle and needs!