How to Protect Your Pets from Common Pests in Rockville, MD

It is up to you as your pet’s advocate to protect them against common pests that can affect their overall health and wellbeing. Pet Dominion has all you need to know about pet protection against our top three Maryland pests.

Pet Safety Against Ticks

No one wants to find an unexpected parasite on their pet, ticks can carry additional surprises. Ticks, which are common in the Rockville, MD area, can also carry several infectious diseases.

These blood-borne pathogens can cause fever, joint pain, lethargy, kidney disease, and other complications. They include:

• Lyme disease
• Anaplasmosis
• Ehrlichiosis
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Symptoms often occur several months after exposure to an infected tick, and can be difficult to diagnose due to their vague clinical signs.

Thankfully, we have access to some very effective tick preventives. These products are great at killing ticks before they can transmit these nasty diseases.

You can also protect your pet by avoiding off-trail areas where ticks may be in high numbers. You should also be sure to do a good tick check on yourself and your pets after outdoor adventures.

Protecting Your Pet from Heartworms

Heartworm disease is a parasitic disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes. The organism Dirofilaria immitis is carried from an infected animal and introduced into the body of a pet during the mosquito's feeding.

These organisms develop into actual worms that grow in the hearts and vessels of our dogs and cats. This can lead to heart and lung disease, and even death.

Heartworm disease can be cured in dogs, but the treatment is expensive and difficult. There is no cure for the permanent changes that the worms may have caused. There is no safe treatment for cats.

We do have very safe, effective preventive medications, though, that can stop this from ever being a problem for your pet. Contact us to discuss what options are best for your individual circumstances.

Intestinal Parasites Are Problematic, Too

It is not uncommon for pets to be affected by intestinal parasites at some point in their lives. Several common parasites can thrive in your pet’s intestinal tract. These include:

• Roundworms
• Hookworms
• Tapeworms
• Whipworms
• Coccidia
• Giardia

Often, pets are infected with these when they are exposed to infected feces or soil or water contaminated with infected feces, although other routes of transmission are possible, depending on the individual parasite. These can cause digestive problems, poor hair coat, and failure to thrive.

Many monthly parasite preventions offer pets protection. It is also important to have fecal screening tests done at least once a year as part of wellness care in order to catch parasites before they become a problem.

Pest control is an important part of pet safety. With your team at Pet Dominion, protecting your pet is easy!