How To Prevent Parasites For Dogs

The most important time to have your dog on parasite prevention is between June and November, as this is when heartworm is a concern.

Ticks become active in mild temperatures, as low as 0-4 degrees Celsius, so we also recommend flea and tick protection in the milder months, especially April and May.

You may wish to consider year-round prevention anyway, especially with our fluctuating temperatures and if you plan any travel with your dog during the winter months.

Parasite prevention should typically be given on the same day each month to ensure its effectiveness, but please confirm with your veterinarian for the details of your dog’s specific products.

These are prescription medications, and just like any prescription, a veterinarian must ensure that the patient is in good enough health to receive them. For efficacy and your pet’s safety, they will also determine the best type of medication and dosage.

However, if your pet has had an examination in the last year (and is in good health and not growing/changing weight), your veterinarian may use their discretion to dispense the prescription without another examination. They may also request a recent weigh-in or a heartworm test before dispensing.

The tick should be removed by grasping it near the head with a pair of tweezers and with steady, even upward pressure, withdrawing the mouth parts from where they are buried in the skin. We have a special tick removal tool available for this purpose. Remember to wash your hands afterwards, and if you must use your hands, always wear gloves.

The removed tick should be disposed of as soon as possible to reduce the likelihood of transmitting disease, or you may wish to preserve it in rubbing alcohol and bring it to us for identification of the tick species and the associated risks.

If you are not comfortable removing the tick yourself, a veterinary technician will help you. It is important to get the whole tick out and monitor the site for any signs of irritation or infection afterward. Then, contact your veterinarian for the next steps.

We always recommend doing a 4DX test on any dog four weeks following a confirmed tick bite for dogs that are not on prevention.

Most products require the parasites to bite in order to kill them. The tick will die within a few hours and fall off.

Five to ten years ago, ticks just weren’t as prevalent in our area as they are now. Now, every year, we see tick-borne diseases in our furry friends who were not on adequate tick prevention the year before.

Revolution was fine at one point for heartworm coverage and some internal parasites, but it only protects against one type of tick, and does not protect against the black-legged/deer tick, which transmits Lyme disease. Canine Revolution is no longer considered adequate parasite prevention on its own.

We now recommend switching to Simparica Trio, which is made by the same company as Revolution. It is an all-in-one chewable tablet that protects against fleas, heartworm, internal parasites, and many ticks, including the one that carries Lyme disease. We recommend giving it from June to November.

Outside of that window, heartworm is less of a concern, but ticks are still active. You may wish to consider additional tick protection in the early spring and milder winter months, such as giving regular Simparica (tick protection only) in April and May.

If you prefer a topical solution, a veterinary technician can discuss whether switching to another product line, such as K9 Advantix II and Advantage Multi, might be an option for your furry family member.

For most, the prices vary quite a bit by weight category. Bigger Pet = Bigger Price.

If you have an idea of what your pet’s weight is, we can help you find the corresponding cost. For the cost-conscious dog owners, Multi-Duo generally has the lowest price, but all forms of prevention are quite comparable across the different brands.

Most products are packaged to cover a six-month treatment window, with treatments given once monthly. For each product, you usually have the option to buy one month’s treatment at a time instead of the whole six-month supply. The cost works out to be the same per treatment; however, there is a $5 dispensing fee every time. Therefore, it is better value to buy a full pack and only pay the dispensing fee once.

For dogs, there are two product options that “do it all” that are to be given from June to November: Nexgard Spectra or Simparica Trio. In the past, we would have to use two products combined to do what each product can do individually (i.e. Nexgard + Heartgard or Simparica + Revolution). It is a bit more cost-effective to buy the all-in-one product than to buy its two corresponding combo products individually.

We recommend tick protection outside of the June-November window, though, and especially in April and May when temperatures are consistently mild. Heartworm is not so much of a concern during this time, so for a tick-focused protection, such as regular Simparica or Nexgard, it’s usually about half the cost of prevention for the summer months. The exact cost will vary depending on your dog’s size, though.