A zoonosis (zoh-oh-NOH-sis) is an infectious disease that people can catch from animals, and vice versa.  Regular veterinary visits, preventive vaccinations and medications, and good hygiene can help prevent them. 

Tapeworms have a flattened, ribbon-like appearance. 

Signs
Dogs & cats:  Anal discomfort and itching that often results in pets dragging their hind ends across the floor.
People:  Most are without symptoms, but diarrhea, abdominal pain and anal itching are possible.
How it's transmitted
Dogs & cats:  Ingesting infected fleas and tissue of infected animals like mice and rabbits.
People:  Ingesting infected fleas
People most at risk
*Children under 8 years old
How to prevent it
*Make sure all family pets receive strict monthly flea control

A zoonosis (zoh-oh-NOH-sis) is an infectious disease that people can catch from animals, and vice versa.  Regular veterinary visits, preventive vaccinations and medications, and good hygiene can help prevent them.

Hookworms are short (6-12 mm), thick worms that are whitish to reddish brown with a hooked front end.

Signs
Puppies & kittens:  Anemia and pale mucous membranes, failure to gain weight, poor hair coat, dehydration, and dark and tarry diarrhea.
Adult dogs & cats:  Usually few signs; often source of infection for puppies; can cause severe anemia, diarrhea, and weight loss in extreme cases.
People:  Red, itchy, serpentine lesions on the skin.
How it's transmitted
Puppies & kittens:  Crossing the placenta and through the mother's milk.
Dogs, cats & people:  Ingesting them in feces and from the worms penetrating the skin (often from infected soil).
People most at risk
Farmers, gardeners, landscapers, sunbathers lying on the sand, plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and children playing in potentially contaminated areas.
How to prevent it
*  Promptly remove animal feces from the yard
*  Cover children's sandboxes when not in use
*  Wear shoes and gloves while gardening
*  Wash hands thoroughly after playing outside or exposure to soil    especially dirt under the fingernails)
*  Deworm puppies and kittens every two weeks until they can receive a monthly preventive and control product
*  To help prevent ingestion of infected animals or feces, keep dogs on leashes or in fenced yards and keep cats indoors
*  Monitor children playing outside in sandboxes and parks
*  Administration of monthly heartworm preventative helps to control these parasites!

A zoonosis (zoh-oh-NOH-sis) is an infectious disease that people can catch from animals, and vice versa.  Regular veterinary visits, preventive vaccinations and medications, and good hygiene can help prevent them.

Roundworms are large (3 to 18 cm) worms that are usually tightly coiled when passed and look like spaghetti. 

Signs
Puppies & kittens:  Failure to gain weight, poor hair coat, pot-bellied appearance, puppies of 4 to 6 months of age may expel a large mass of worms in their vomit.
Adult dogs & cats:  Vomiting.
People:  Pneumonia-like symptoms, skin staining from damage to internal organs, and irritated retinas from damage to the eyes. 
How it's transmitted
Puppies & kittens:  Crossing through the placenta from the mother, and ingesting eggs in feces.
Adult dogs & cats:  Ingesting eggs in feces and in infected animals like rodents.
People:  Ingesting eggs through feces in soil or on pets and ingesting items contaminated with infected feces. 
People most at risk
CHILDREN!
How to prevent it
* Deworm puppies and kittens every two weeks until they can receive a monthly control product.
* Promptly treat infected pets to prevent shedding of eggs, which are hardy and long-lived.
* Promptly remove animal feces from the yard and litterbox.
* To help prevent ingestion of infected animals or feces, keep dogs on leashes or in fenced yards and keep cats indoors.
* Monitor children playing outside in sandboxes and parks.
* Administration of monthly heartworm preventative helps to control these parasites!! 

A zoonosis (zoh-oh-NOH-sis) is an infectious disease that people can catch from animals, and vice versa.  Regular veterinary visits, preventive vaccinations and medications, and good hygiene can help prevent them. 
Signs
Dogs, cats & people:  Fever, shifting leg lameness, swollen joints, lethargy, depression and anorexia
How it's transmitted
Dogs, cats & people:  From the bite of an infected deer tick
People most at risk
EVERYONE!!
How to prevent it
*Strict monthly tick control for all pets
*Avoid tick-infested areas
*Keep grass closely clipped to discourage tick populations & wildlife that often harbor ticks
*Consider vaccinating dogs exposed to infected ticks

Help your pet live a long, healthy life by staying on top of internal disease, one test at a time.  Although we can learn a lot by performing a physical examination of your pet, there are some signs of disease that can only be detected with further testing.  And this doesn't just apply to sick pets -- it's important to understand what's going on inside with pets that appear healthy, too. 
Here's a breakdown of critical diagnostic tests we may recommend to ensure your pet is as healthy on the inside as he or she appears to be on the outside. 
Fecal Exam - We check your pet's stool twice a year for signs of intestinal disease and parasites.  We will examine the stool for outward signs of disease, such as blood, mucous & abnormal consistency or color.  We'll also perform a fecal flotation procedure and take a look with a microscope, which is the best way to uncover the presence of the most common internal parasites, such as roundworms, hookworms or whipworms. 

Heartworm Test - Each year, we collect a small sample of your dog's blood to test for heartworms, which can be fatal.  Infected mosquitoes spread heartworm disease.  Even pets that stay indoors are susceptible, as mosquitoes can slip into homes and bite an unprotected pet.  And even if your dog is on heartworm prevention year-round, it's critical to do this blood test annually, as even one missed or late dose of preventive can put them at risk. 

Complete blood count (CBC) and serum chemistry panel - Symptoms of some conditions or diseases won't show up until your pet is very sick.  That's why we recommend testing your pet's blood annually to detect and try to prevent disease as early as possible.  These blood tests tell us whether your pet is anemic (not enough red blood cells) or fighting infection.  We can also tell whether internal organs, such as the liver and kidneys, are functioning properly.  In some cases, treatable diseases such as diabetes can be detected with these tests. 

Urinalysis - Like a blood test, a urine test gives us an understanding of how healthy your pet is on the inside.  A urinalysis once a year offers clues that point to underlying causes of disease, such as bladder infection or kidney disease.  Once we have the results of this test and the blood tests, we'll have a picture of your pet's internal health and will be well on our way to detecting disease as early as possible. 

BEFORE YOU DECIDE YOUR INDOOR-ONLY CAT DOESN'T NEED PARASITE PREVENTION, CONSIDER THESE IMPORTANT FACTS:

• Cockroaches, mice & flies all can carry roundworm eggs.  Cats are natural hunters & will hunt them!
  
• 15% of commercial potting soil contains roundworm eggs.
• The Northeast has the highest prevalence of roundworms than any other part of the country.
• Other animals in the household that do go outside - like dogs and people - can bring in different parasites that can affect the indoor cat.
• A study conducted in 2007 by the Centers for Disease Control proves that almost 14% of the U.S. population is infected with Toxocara -- much higher than what was originally thought.
• The same study also states "although most persons infected with Toxocara have no symptoms the parasite is capable of causing blindness and other systemic illness."
• Children & immune-compromised people are more susceptible of being infected with these parasites.
• 40% of immune-compromised people have a pet at home.
• Roundworm, or Toxocara cati, are prolific egg producers & are estimated to produce as many as 24,000 eggs per day.
• It is estimated that 3 million to 6 million people in the U.S. may be infected with Toxocara (roundworm) larva migrans each year.
• In just 30 days, 25 female fleas can multiply to more than 250,000. 
• All it takes is one adult worm in a cat's heart to be fatal.  Cats that die from heartworm can be clinically normal one hour before death.
• More than 25% of cats with proven heartworm infection, according to their owners, are kept indoors exclusively.