Interceptor Plus

We are happy to announce that we have recently made the decision to switch to a different monthly heartworm preventative called Interceptor Plus. Interceptor Plus will provide more coverage when it comes to deworming. The heartworm medication that we had been carrying (Tri-Heart Plus, and Heartgard Plus) protected against heartworm, hookworm, and roundworm. In addition to those three parasites Interceptor Plus will protect against   whipworm and tapeworm. This new preventative comes in a very yummie "treat" form it is very palatable and appealing for even the pickiest of our pets. It is safe and recommended to give monthly year round to dogs aging six weeks and above.

It is imperative to preventatively  treat your dogs monthly for heartworm disease which is transmitted through a mosquito bite. All it takes is one infected mosquito to bite your dog and transmit the disease. To diagnose heartworm disease a blood sample is required we check for heartworm disease annually to make sure all of our patients are happy and healthy. If you would like to learn more about heartworm disease please read our blog that was published last April titled "National Heartworm Awareness Month"

It is also always a good idea to routinely run a fecal sample especially if you have a dog who goes to doggy day care, dog parks, grooming, pack walks, or is frequently in the woods. They can contract these nasty gastrointestinal parasites at any time and they can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, or anemia. When we send a fecal sample out to the lab they check for evidence of any eggs that would indicate a gastrointestinal parasite such as: hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, coccidia, giardia, and tapeworm. However, some worms can be in the gastrointestinal system and not show any evidence at that time because they only shed their eggs intermittently. This new product works retroactively and would deworm against any parasite that would have been acquired in the previous month.

If you have any questions about this new product please do not hesitate to call us at any time to talk about it. We would be happy to answer any questions that you may have about this new product. Happy National Heartworm Awareness Month from your friends at South Bay Vet!