April is Heartworm Awareness Month, and we’re glad to get the chance to highlight the importance of preventing this deadly disease. Heartworms are spread through the bites of infected mosquitos, which leave larvae inside your pet. The worms grow up and live in the heart, lungs and blood vessels of infected animals. This is very serious for pets, as it can result in heart failure, lung disease and even death. This is one of the reasons we advocate strongly for prevention. In addition, the cost and ease of the preventative treatment are much preferred to reactive procedures.
There are many FDA-approved preventative products that we carry, which can be given monthly as a topical liquid or as an oral tablet—these products protect not only against heartworm, but against other parasites as well. Year-round prevention is the best way to avoid those nasty heartworms, so please be aware of what you can do to protect your pets against this potentially deadly disease. We recommend monitoring your pet and having them screened for internal parasites regularly, which can be done be scheduling an appointment online or by calling (650) 515-4340.
If you would like to learn more about Heartworm, click here to read an article written by our very own Dr. Barchas.
While they’re sure signs that Easter is on its way, fresh flowers and baskets full of pastel-colored candy also represent potential health risks for your pets! As you’re making your home festive for the holiday, make sure you keep these Easter-related treats and decorations away from your pets.
- Lilies. Lilies can cause fatal kidney failure when cats ingest any part of them, even just the pollen! The only way to avoid this danger is by keeping these plants out of your house entirely.
- Chocolate. The darker the chocolate is, the more poisonous it is to your pets, but they shouldn’t have access to any kind of chocolate. So hide those bunnies!
- Plastic grass. If your Easter baskets are filled with bright green plastic grass, keep the baskets out of your pets’ sight so they aren’t tempted to chew (and potentially choke) on the fake grass. It looks real to them, but it can cause severe intestinal blockages.
- Plastic eggs. Don’t forget where you hide your eggs! Pets could choke on shattered bits of plastic eggs or break them open and eat the candy inside.
If you think your pet has ingested one of these, or other, toxic items, call us at (650) 515-4340 as soon as possible. Should the incident happen outside our normal business hours, contact the North Peninsula Veterinary Emergency Clinic by calling (650) 348-2575. In addition, the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center can be reached at (888) 426-4435.