The number of pets living in Will, Cook and DuPage Counties that tested positive for heartworm infection has increased 16%, 13% and 2% respectively compared to last year. To date, the number of Will County pets that tested positive for Lyme disease has increased 11% compared to 2021 with slight decreases seen in pets living in DuPage and Cook Counties. The American Heartworm Society, Companion Animal Parasite Council, and BRVC’s veterinarians recommend year-round heartworm and flea and tick prevention for the following reasons:
Prevention is better for your pet and more cost effective for you. Preventing heartworm infection and tick-borne diseases is easy but treatment can be painful, difficult and is definitely more expensive. The cost of annual testing and year-round heartworm preventatives ranges from $165 -$220 depending upon your pet’s weight. Canine heartworm treatment can cost up to $1,000 or more for additional bloodwork, oral medications, radiographs (x-rays), three rounds of in-hospital medication injections which is more than four times more expensive than the yearly cost of the most expensive heartworm preventative. There is no approved treatment for feline heartworm infection which makes year-round protection especially important.
Year-round flea and tick preventative costs also vary depending on your pet’s species and weight but average $233 for dogs (the same test that helps diagnose heartworm infection in dogs also screens for tick-borne diseases). The medication to prevent tick-borne diseases in cats also prevents heartworm infection and averages $248 for year-round protection. Should your dog test positive for a tick-borne disease, additional blood testing is needed to determine the levels of antibodies present, medications will be dispensed, and a six-month follow-up blood test is recommended to ensure the antibody levels have decreased. Costs for these diagnostics tests and treatments range from $250 to $525, exceeding the expense of year-round flea and tick protection.
We can’t predict where or when your pet may be exposed. Warm winter weather conditions, out-of-state travel and outside activities are all factors to consider. It only takes one tick bite to transmit tick-borne diseases including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis. Even the smallest amount of outdoor exercise for your dog or fresh air for your cat exposes him or her to ticks and the diseases they carry. In addition, it takes only one bite from an infected mosquito to transmit heartworm infection and mosquitoes can sneak indoors where they’ll find a tasty blood meal.
The preventatives recommended by our doctors have been proven to be safe and effective and include manufacturer’s satisfaction guarantees. All of the preventatives recommended by our doctors have been rigorously tested to make sure they are not only effective but safe for you and your pets. In addition, each comes with a satisfaction guarantee from the manufacturer that may not be available for preventatives purchased online or in retail stores.
Protecting your four-legged family members from heartworm and tick-borne diseases is easy and cost-effective. Please call us at (630) 598-0600 if you have questions or need more information about year-round parasite prevention.