Flea and Heartworm Medication

Importance of Flea and Heartworm Medications

• Preventing fleas and heartworms is important for pet health. Fleas can cause symptoms ranging from mild skin irritation and itching, to anemia and death from blood loss. Puppies and kittens are particularly vulnerable, as their immune systems are weaker than adults and they have less blood to lose. Fleas can transmit more serious infections, too, like tapeworms, per Vet Info.

  Heartworms really are worms that live in the heart and the arteries surrounding it. Mature heartworms measure around 5 inches long, so the damage a severe infestation can do is significant. While early symptoms of heartworm infestation are not obvious, severe cases lead to death.

Medication Forms

• Flea preventatives and treatments come in a variety of forms and include sprays, wipes, powders, shampoos, foams, dips, spot-on topical treatments and monthly pills. One dose of spot-on treatments or oral tablets generally last one month, killing eggs, larvae and/or adults, depending on the medication. Some spot-on treatments can be purchased over-the-counter at drug and discount stores, while others are available only through veterinarians.

  Heartworm medications come in different forms, depending on whether the medicine is a preventative or a treatment. These come in oral tablets, chewables or shots, and are generally available through veterinarians.

Choosing Flea Medications

• The website Vet Info recommends getting a flea medication that is waterproof and to consider one that protect against ticks and mosquitoes as well. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, while mosquitoes can carry heartworms. They also recommend checking the label of products to not only follow all directions explicitly, but to see precisely what the medication kills or prevents; some flea medications only kill adults, while others only kill juveniles. Killing or preventing fleas at all stages of the life cycle is the best bet for a healthy, flea-free pet. Vet Info warns against combining any flea medications or pesticides before talking with a vet; and never combine or switch flea medications for dogs and cats. There may be severe, even deadly reactions.

Choosing Heartworm Medications

• A vet should evaluate an animal for its heartworm infection level before administering any medications. Because heartworm infections are difficult to detect without blood tests in the early stages and because medications differ depending on the results of those tests, this evaluation is the first step in effective heartworm prevention and treatment.

  If your pet's tests reveal no heartworms, the medication will be a preventative, such as a monthly pill. Some of these will also prevent whipworms and hookworms. If your pet tests positive for heartworms, its medication will depend on age, infestation level and risks associated with other health conditions.

Possible Side Effects

• Some pets have severe reactions to flea or heartworm medications. Healthy pets are given shots to slowly kill off the worms in an effort to prevent circulatory shock that might occur if too many die at once. Owners must also take special care of the animal after heartworm treatment, restricting activity and looking for signs such as nose bleeds and coughing. If the infestation level is too severe, the owner may opt to not treat the animal and simply make it as comfortable as possible.

  Many owners have reported severe side effects after applying certain over-the-counter flea medications, including seizure and death. In 2001, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the Hartz Mountain Corporation, a maker of popular over-the-counter flea medications, due to severe reactions.