Keep Your Outdoor Cats Protected

The typical cat flea doesn’t ask a lot from life.  All it wants are the basics:  a comfortable place to live, proper nourishment, and the chance to raise little flea babies.  That’s why fleas, if given the opportunity, will eagerly hop onto your cat’s back and take up residence.  Therefore, year round flea prevention is a MUST for all cats, but especially those that spend all or part of their days in the great outdoors.    

Fleas are the most common of all external feline parasites.  While fleas will most likely make your cat terribly uncomfortable, they can also be a source of disease. Not only can fleas carry the bacteria that causes Cat Scratch Fever, but they also transmit the dog and cat tapeworm.  Tapeworm is one of the most common internal parasites suffered by pets, partly because tapeworms are carried by fleas.  Most cats are infected by tapeworm at some time in their lives either by exposure to infected fleas or when a cat eats rodents that host tapeworm larvae.

Fortunately for cats, fleas and tapeworms are easily prevented with topical medications.  Here at Badger Veterinary Hospital, we recommend year round flea prevention with the topical product, Revolution.  Year round treatment has become especially important with the mild winters and fluctuating temperatures that have become more common here in the Midwest.  Revolution is applied to your cat once a month and not only provides protection against fleas, but has the added advantages of preventing heartworm disease and the treatment and control of hookworms, roundworms, and ear mites. 

To address the cats that may be infested with tapeworms by hunting, we recommend not only the monthly applications of Revolution, but also treating your outdoor cat quarterly with the topical dewormer, Profender.  Profender contains the active ingredient, praziquantal, which directly eliminates the tapeworm infestation. 

Following this easy, stress-free protocol, will ensure your beloved cat remains free of the most common external and internal parasites that can pose potentially serious health risks.  

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-Barf

Badger Veterinary Hospital is here to prepare you and your pets for the holidays.  Watch the video above to understand the impact of common holiday foods and household toxins that affect our pets and bring them to Badger unexpectedly.  We want everyone healthy and happy this holiday season!

After Hours!

The Scoop on Poop!

Each year, you get a postcard from your veterinarian reminding you of your pet's yearly wellness exam and vaccines.  At the bottom of the list of overdue services is always the yearly fecal examination.  Inevitably, you show up to the appointment and you've forgotten that poop sample.  Most people shrug it off saying, "I'll remember to bring it next year."  Well, I'm here to remind you just how important that once yearly stool sample really is.

Intestinal parasites are of great concern not only for your cat or dog, but for your family as well.  Consider these statistics:  Nationwide, 34% of dogs and cats are infected with gastrointestinal parasites.  Furthermore, 73% of pediatricians in the US reported cases of children with parasitic infection.

Pets can shed eggs into the environment and many different parasite eggs can thrive in the environment for years.  Children become infected by putting soil/sand/objects that are contaminated with fecal matter into their mouths or by walking barefoot in contaminated soil.

The good news is we can do a lot to decrease infection rates in both our pets and ourselves.  Have a fecal exam done on your pet once yearly.  Try to pick up pet waste daily and dispose of it properly.  Wear shoes in areas that dogs visit frequently such as parks and playgrounds.  Wear gloves while gardening.  And most importantly, practice good hygiene.  Wash hands frequently, especially after handling pets or cleaning up pet waste.

The link below contains more in depth information on this topic:intestinal-parasites