Winter prevention

Here's a question from Randar...

Hey,
I got a dog question. Is it necessary to keep my dogs on heart worm and
flea stuff during the winter or do they just say that to keep up sales.

The
short answer is "it depends". And since I've discovered that my
readership is international, let me forewarn that my answer is mainly
based on northern hemisphere, especially North American, pattern.

Fleas
require warm, humid environments in order to thrive. The lower the
temperature and the dryer the environment, the worse the conditions for
them. This means that in desert climates or areas that have strong
winters there isn't as much of a flea problem. In the American
southeast, flea prevention is needed pretty much year-round. The
further north or west you go, the less the concern. For example, in the
winter in the Daktoas, fleas definitely won't survive. However, you
need to keep in mind that this is mainly talking about fleas surviving
outside. We keep our homes very climate controlled, with temperatures
in the upper 60s to low 70s (Fahrenheit), and often humidity control.
Under these conditions fleas can survive year-round. Even in the US
southeast, I have never seen a month go by, even in Winter, that I
haven't seen at least a few clients with fleas on their pets. Take
these guidelines and make the decision about whether or not to use flea
prevention during the winter. Or better yet, ask your vet about local
flea prevelance.

Heartworm prevention is a different issue. It
is transmitted by mosquitoes, so conditions in which these insects
would survive will increase the risk of heartwom disease. If the
conditions are too cold or dry (since mosquitoes need water to lay
their eggs), they the mosquitoes won't live and therefore heartworm
risks are lower. However, the disease you are risking is much greater.
Fleas can cause allergy problems, skin disorders, tapeworms, and even
anemia in small pets. However, heartworm disease can cause death.
Currently only about 50% of American dogs are given heartworm
prevention regularly. Since the potential disease is so severe, it is
recommended to keep dogs on prevention year-round.

The
recommendations of veterinarians are based on the best health care for
your pets. Yes, we would like to be profitable and support our familes.
But most of us don't try to deliberately make recommendations or
manipulate clients in order to make money. We really are trying to look
out for our patients.
Winter prevention