• In the United States, >60% of households have pets
• Among dog owners, 53% consider their dog to be a member of the family
• A surprising 56% of dog owners sleep with their dog next to them; ≈50% of dogs sleep on the bed
• Among cats, 62% slept with their adult owners and another 13% slept with children

• Fleas Transmit Disease (pet to pet and pet to people)
• Pets can transmit disease (pet to pet and pet to people)
• It is essential that parasites in pets are controlled to protect adults, children, and other pets

Having pets brings many benefits, such as psychological support, friendship, and even good health practices (exercising or reducing stress).

Sharing our resting hours with our pets may be a source of psychological comfort, but because pets can bring a wide range of zoonotic pathogens into our environment, sharing is also associated with risks.  These risks may be minimized with proper Zoonotic control of parasites such as fleas, and Internal Parasites. 

Modern Heartworm Preventatives prevent heartworms.  Many heartworm preventatives also control common intestinal parasites and some can control fleas.  Your Veterinarian at Dunedin Animal Medical Center will recommend the best heartworm preventative for your pet.

Heartworm Preventative - prevents heartworms and can protect against other parasites in kittens and adults.

Heartworms - a real and present danger

Heartworm disease is not just a canine disease.  Heartworms affect cats differently than dogs, but the disease they cause is equally serious. In cats, heartworm larva induce an intense inflammatory response in the blood vessels & tissues in the lungs.

It only takes one mosquito to infect a cat, and because mosquitos can get indoors, both indoor and outdoor cats are at risk and should receive heartworm medication. In a North Carolina study, 28 percent of the cats diagnosed with heartworm were inside-only cats.

Hookworms - a deadly burden

Hookworms attach to the small intestine of your cat and suck blood. Hookworms can infect people too. 

Roundworms - beyond the "yuck" factor

Roundworms are among the most common intestinal parasites of cats.  They can infect over 90% of kittens under 3 months of age. Cats infected with roundworms may experience constipation, vomiting, diarrhea or may have a pot-bellied appearance. Roundworms can inffect people too. 

Tapeworms - just plain "gross"

Dipylidium is tapeworm of Dogs and Cats. People become infected when they accidentally swallow a flea infected with tapeworm larvae; most reported cases involve children.  Read More... follow link below to main CDC Dog and Cat Parasite page and access "T" on A to Z menu at top of page

Additional information about the above parasites and other less-common parasites of Cats.  this is the main page for CDC Cat and Dog parasites just use the A to Z index at the top of the page to look up Cat parasites:  http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/animals.html

Monthly Heartworm preventative - Your Veterinarian at Dunedin Animal Medical Center will recommend the best heartworm preventative for your Pet.