The dog is lying between your feet. The cat is wrapped around your head. Pets share our homes, and often our beds, like regular members of the family. They may be our first “children,” our only children, or the loving souls that fill the void after the two-legged children move out. Pemco’s right — we ARE a little different in Seattle.
We take our cats car camping on the Peninsula. Our dogs carry their own vittles hiking with us in the Cascades. We arrange play dates at Genesee Park Off-Leash Area. They lie patiently at our feet while we dine al fresco in Columbia City. And our dogs know the drive-thru bank tellers in the cluster of banks on Rainier Avenue all have a supply of biscuits in the window.
The comfort, companionship, and affection they provide are priceless — but have you considered the things pets can harbor that may affect you and your family?
Besides being a yucky nuisance, parasites can cause or transmit serious diseases to your pets and you. Effective parasite control goes far beyond just controlling fleas during summer and fall. It also includes year-round prevention of internal parasites that can make pets and humans truly ill. In our temperate Seattle climate, intestinal parasite eggs, an invisible threat, can live in the soil for 7-10 years. They can be transmitted year around to pets (or a barefoot child) walking through a contaminated area like a dog park, beach, hiking trail, or even your own backyard. Pets can transmit parasites to us through incidental contact. How do you protect your pet from something you can’t see?
Recent advances in parasite control for pets have significantly improved the safety and convenience required to protect our pets from internal and external parasites. Fifteen years ago, flea control was transformed when products that really worked became available through veterinarians. Since then, however, it’s become apparent that these products are frequently messy and might wash off. They sometimes cause localized contact dermatitis. To avoid accidental human contact, they should probably be applied to pets after younger family members go to bed. Pets frequently hide when they see the package or smell the product. And now we may be seeing flea resistance.
New, safer, FDA-approved oral medications given once a month have created a new standard in parasite control. These medications come in flavored, chewable tablets that can be crumbled into a meal and given at any time of the day, mess-free. They are completely waterproof, so swimming and bathing won’t affect them. And most importantly, they control internal and external parasites, providing complete protection from most parasites that can affect your pet and your family. But you won’t find them at Costco or PetsMart.
These new oral medications are prescription only and have gone through more rigorous testing than topical products. Talk with us today to assess your pet’s risk factors and develop a comprehensive, year-round parasite control program that meets your needs too.