Flea, Tick and Heartworm Prevention

At Koch Veterinary Services, we offer trusted flea, tick, and heartworm prevention options to protect your pet from uncomfortable—and potentially dangerous—parasites. Preventive care is one of the simplest and most effective ways to safeguard your pet’s long-term health.

Fleas, ticks, and heartworms are more than just seasonal annoyances. These parasites can transmit serious diseases to pets and, in some cases, to people. Dr. Koch will evaluate your pet’s lifestyle, age, and health history to recommend the safest and most effective preventive plan.

Why Parasite Prevention Matters

Fleas

Fleas can cause intense itching, skin irritation, and allergic reactions such as flea allergy dermatitis, leading to hair loss, sores, and infection. Fleas can also transmit tapeworms when pets ingest them during grooming.

In small, young, or senior pets, heavy flea infestations may lead to anemia, which can cause pale gums, lethargy, decreased appetite, and rapid breathing. Pets showing these signs should be evaluated promptly by a veterinarian or emergency clinic.

Ticks

Ticks are known carriers of several serious zoonotic diseases, meaning they can affect both pets and humans. Common tick-borne illnesses include:

• Lyme disease, which may cause joint pain, lethargy, appetite changes, and kidney complications

• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which can result in fever, vomiting, swelling of the face or limbs, neurologic changes, and balance issues

Preventing tick exposure is critical for protecting both your pet’s health and your family’s well-being.

Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition transmitted by mosquitoes. Heartworms live in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, leading to lung disease, heart failure, and organ damage.

Dogs

Dogs are natural hosts for heartworms, allowing the parasites to mature and multiply. Untreated infections can result in lasting damage—even after treatment—making year-round prevention essential.

Cats

Cats are atypical hosts, but even immature heartworms can cause significant respiratory disease known as Heartworm-Associated Respiratory Disease (HARD). There is no safe treatment for heartworm infection in cats, making prevention the only protection.

Before starting heartworm prevention, pets must be tested. In rare cases, administering prevention to an infected pet can cause a severe reaction. We recommend annual screening for heartworm as well as common tick-borne diseases such as Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasmosis.

Information adapted from the American Heartworm Society.

Flea and Tick Prevention Options

There are several effective ways to protect your pet from fleas and ticks. Dr. Koch will help you choose the option best suited to your pet’s needs and lifestyle.

Oral Preventives
Monthly chewable medications that kill parasites after they bite.

Topical Treatments
Applied monthly between the shoulder blades, killing fleas and ticks on contact.

Flea Collars
Long-lasting protection worn around the neck, designed to repel and kill parasites.

Protect Your Pet Year-Round

Preventive care is far easier—and far safer—than treating parasite-related illness. To learn more about flea, tick, and heartworm prevention or to schedule your pet’s wellness exam, call or text Koch Veterinary Services at (717) 500-2670.