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| Deer Tick |
Protecting dogs and cats from heartworms, intestinal parasites (hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms), fleas, and ticks is essential to their health and well-being. Imagine having worms in your intestines, worms living in your heart, or having fleas crawling over you while you sleep. Unimaginable? Not for dogs and cats. In fact, it’s very common. The other bad news is that intestinal worms like Toxocara (roundworm) can cause disease in people. Blood tests show that 14% of people in the US have already been infected with Roundworms (http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxocariasis/epi.html).
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| Roundworms |
In New Jersey, our pets are at risk for all these bugs, all year long. The good news is that they are all completely preventable. Heartworms, intestinal parasites, fleas, and even ticks are easily prevented with a once a month treatment that takes seconds to administer. The medications are extremely safe and have been used on millions of pets for more than a decade. There’s just no reason to put your pet or your family at risk. We’ve even developed an APP for your iPhone or iPad that will remind you when to give the medication. (Download the app for FREE at www.oakhurstvet.com.)
When our doctors make a recommendation for a specific preventative medication for your pet, they consider safety, ability to protect against parasites present in our area, ease of administration, and price. It is critical to have a thorough knowledge of every porduct. We only recommend what we use for our own pets.
Our current recommendation for ALL DOGS is to give a SENTINEL® flavor tab and apply PARASTAR® to the skin on the back the neck ONCE A MONTH, ALL YEAR. For both indoor and outdoor CATS, we recommend that REVOLUTION® be applied to the back of the neck ONCE A MONTH, ALL YEAR.
Recently, there have been concerns about the available supply of Sentinel® and Interceptor®. Due to safety concerns about some human medications, Novartis voluntarily closed their distribution warehouse in Nebraska, and temporarily stopped production of Sentinel and Interceptor. We have been advised that the plants are re-opening, but it will take time to get production to the point where it will meet the back order demand. There ARE NO CONCERNS with the SAFETY of Sentinel® or Interceptor®. There has not been a single report concerning the safety of any of these products. Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital and NOVARTIS have always guaranteed the safety and efficacy of Sentinel® and Interceptor®, and will continue to do so. The problem remains about what to do if we cannot get these products.
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| Flea |
There are other very good products available that will protect our pets. Our doctors our discussing the issue and we will advise all of our clients of best alternatives. Call our pharmacy if you need refills; we will make sure your pets are protected.
Finally, please do not be misled by internet pharmacies. Despite the claims made on television commercials, INTERNET PHARMACIES are NOT less expensive, the products are NOT GUARANTEED, and the FDA has warned about COUNTERFEIT PRODUCTS. Most importantly, they don’t care about your pet, and they aren’t there seven days a week if your pet gets sick.
