San Diego is the perfect environment for fleas, ticks, and mosquitos to thrive. West Coast Animal Hospital stocks a variety of preventatives to keep your dog or cat protected from these parasites and the diseases that they transmit. We recommend heartworm testing annually for all dogs over 6 months of age. If you have a particular preventative product that you prefer that we don’t stock in the hospital, it is readily available on our online pharmacy here.
Fleas enjoy wildlife, humid and shady outdoor areas, and can easily jump onto your pet using their incredible jumping ability. Ticks are often found in woods, shrubs, weeds, and tall grasses and can grab onto you or your pet during hikes and neighborhood walks. Mosquitos also enjoy humid climates and are becoming more and more prevalent in San Diego putting your pet as risk for Heartworm Disease.
Believe it or not, tapeworms are part of the flea cycle. You may see tapeworms after a pet ingests a flea while chewing and itching. Ticks can cause a host of life-threatening illness illnesses, including Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and more.