Fleas, Ticks and Heartworms

Do you love your pet? Do they make life better for you? One of the best ways to show them how much you care is by making sure that they have a healthy body. Fleas, ticks and heartworms carry some nasty illnesses, some of which can spread to pets and people. In this article, we’ll talk about the prevention of these diseases.

The dangers of fleas, ticks and heartworms

The impact that fleas, ticks and heartworms may have on your pet go beyond the discomfort your pet feels when they have one of these pests on them. They also can cause illness and even death in pets if left untreated. Some of these illnesses are also zoonotic in nature, meaning, they can be transmitted between humans and companion animals. Below, we outline some of the common diseases each of these parasites can cause.

Fleas

Flea bites, for example, are not just a nuisance but an actual health risk to pets. If your pet is allergic to fleas, the continuous biting of fleas packs a double punch, as because their body will react to the flea saliva. Even worse, fleas can carry tapeworms that can find their way into your pet’s intestinal tract. Remember, fleas don’t only remain on your dog or cat, they’ll make a home wherever given the opportunity, and it can be costly to remove them from your home.

Ticks

The dangers of ticks are numerous. They can transmit diseases such as Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, which cause illness in both humans and pets, such as Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, or Ehrlichiosis.

Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is a serious condition that affects the heart and lungs of pets. It’s transmitted by a bite from infected mosquitoes. A single adult heartworm can grow up to 12 inches and live for up to five years inside the body of a host animal. Female heartworms can also reproduce inside of your pet. Left untreated, heartworm disease is fatal. Although this isn’t a disease that can spread to humans, the impact of losing a pet is devastating to pet owners.

The Importance of Prevention

Some animals don’t display any symptoms at all until it is too late to treat the infestation or disease caused by transmission. This is why prevention is so important.

There are multiple options for prevention. Flea control is a simple and inexpensive way to help prevent fleas from infecting your pet with the disease-causing bacteria they carry. There are also monthly heartworm medication treatments that can be used either alone or in combination with other prevention products, like topical spot on treatment or oral medications. At Woodcliff Lake Veterinary Hospital, we can help identify the best parasite prevention program for your pet’s lifestyle, overall health, and life stage. All of these items are readily available in our online store.

The Cost of Prevention VS Treatment

The best part of prevention? It’s more cost effective to treat your pet with preventive products than to pay for the cost of treatment.

For example, the average cost of treating a home for a flea infestation is $270 according to Home Advisor. (2025). This can even range upwards to $400. Flea prevention is less than half of this….AND you and your pets don’t experience the misery of flea bits, allergic dermatitis and risk of disease.

Comparatively, heartworm preventive medication costs approximately $6-10 per month. Heartworm disease treatment can cost over $1500.

TLDR version: Prevention is cheaper, and you can skip the miserable effects or long-term damage that these parasites can cause.

What else do you need to know?

In addition to prevention, take a common sense approach with your pet.

• Your pet should avoid contact with long grass, swampy areas and times of day, such as dawn and dusk, with high opportunity of exposure to mosquitoes.
• After adventures outside, and even after potty breaks, check your pet’s ears, legs, armpits, eyes and toes for ticks. Your pet will think he or she is getting some extra love from you, but removing ticks immediately or identifying signs of fleas (i.e. “flea dirt”) is one of the best ways to identify and issue early.
• Set reminders. Use your phone or calendar to set an alarm for the monthly date to provide your pet’s preventative. If you miss a dose, call us as soon as you’re aware of the missed date, and we can advise on the best plan of action to take.
• Use only trusted products. We suggest avoiding over the counter products, without consulting us first, as adverse effects may occur. We know your pet, and can advise the best products for them.

We know you probably hate these pests – we do, too. But we have solutions to keep your pet safe so you and your pet can enjoy all that our New Jersey summer has to offer! Give us a call to make your pet’s appointment today!

Image credit: Maiken Ingvodsen | Unsplash