Soda Springs Animal Clinic Pet Corner

Fall is here, and with it comes soaking up the last few days of sun and warmth.  During this time I love seeing people out walking their dogs in the cooling air, desperate to enjoy what time we have outside before the frigid winter fronts start heading our way.

As summer winds down, it’s exciting to think of the disappearance of ticks and mosquitos, but it is important to continue to give protection to our animals until the first hard frost, typically around the end of October.  In this part of the world, ticks can carry babesia, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis; these tick borne bacteria infect red blood cells, causing them to break apart and lead to anemia.  Clinically, this would look like lethargy, lack of appetite, and exercise intolerance. 

Mosquitos carry heartworm disease, a tiny blood borne parasite.  Once the mosquitos have passed baby heartworms on to the dog, it takes 6 months for them to grow into adults and start damaging the heart.  Disease can be silent until severe, but once clinical it will look like exercise intolerance, persistent cough, and lethargy.  Treatment is typically very hard on the dog, and death of adult worms can lead to anaphylactic shock and even the death of the dog.

There has not been a confirmed case of heartworm in Caribou County yet, but it is heavily present in Salt Lake City and Boise.  With people and their dogs constantly traveling during the summer, it is safe to assume that heartworm in present in mosquito populations here or near here.  Due to the severity of disease and risk of infection if traveling, it is recommended to keep dogs on heartworm prevention year round, and flea/tick prevention from April to October.

Are your dogs protected?