Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Fetch Year-Round Parasite Protection with #SentinelSpectrum

Two boxes of Sentinel Spectrum
This post is sponsored by Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help create awareness about protection against common parasites found in dogs but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. More information about Sentinel Spectrum. Virbac is not responsible for the content of this article.
    Do you use a heartworm preventative year-round? Many pet parents feel that it is only necessary to treat for heartworms during mosquito season. That can be a big mistake. The medications target the stages of a developing heartworm for the first 3-4 months after a bite. Then, there is a time when nothing can be done until the worm becomes an adult after around 6 months post-bite. Heartworms can live approximately 5 to 7 years in a dog, if the dog survives that long. It is so important not to ever skip a dose of heartworm preventative. Here’s the great news; preventing heartworms is easy thanks to Virbac® SENTINEL® SPECTRUM®. My dogs think the tasty new beef-flavored chew that I give them every 30 days is a treat before dinner!
   A quick check with Companion Animal Parasite Council™ (CAPC) parasite prevalence map shows that the area where I live accounts for 6.13% of all cases of heartworms in the U.S. That means that 1 in 14 dogs tested positive for this nasty life-threatening parasite. Nearly 300,000 dogs in America contract heartworms each year from mosquitos. Considering the wet spring that we have experienced, those little bloodsuckers will be out in force. It only takes one bite from an infected mosquito to transmit heartworms. All dogs need an annual screening with a simple blood test to ensure they are free of heartworm disease at their veterinarian visit. Your vet can prescribe Sentinel Spectrum and you can save money with a rebate.
Basset Hound standing in yard
Please, No Fleas
   Fleas; just the word can make you begin to scratch and with good reason. They are incredibly hardy little pests that can survive the most challenging conditions. Did you know the adult flea that you see jumping 7” straight in the air as you try to pinch it accounts for only 5% of the flea population? It’s true. It’s the life cycle that you can’t see, the eggs, larvae, and pupae stages that can take months to eradicate once they find their way into your home. The flea egg can live up to one year in your environment. They especially love your couch, carpet and the cracks in the wooden floors.  
   An adult female flea begins laying eggs 20 – 24 hours after its first blood meal. The daily batch of 40 – 50 eggs that fall off into your environment within hours can lead to a flea infestation nightmare. If that is not gross enough, tapeworm larvae live inside fleas. That means when your dog licks a flea, they could end up with tapeworms! If you see tiny white worms in your dog’s feces, on their bedding or around their anus, you could be dealing with tapeworms. To be sure, schedule an appointment with your vet.  
   CAPC recommends year-round parasite control to limit the possibility of a flea plague in your home. Feeding your dog one Sentinel Spectrum with a small meal every 30 days can prevent adult fleas from reproducing and prevent tapeworms.
Bentley Basset sitting up for Sentinel Spectrum chew
The Terrible Worm Trifecta
   There is one word to describe the terrible worm trifecta of hookworms, whipworms, and roundworms. That word is nasty! Checking back with CAPC parasite prevalence map, I discovered the following statistics for my area.
·        1 in 29 dogs tested positive for hookworms
·        1 in 52 tested positive for roundworms
·        1 in 143 tested positive for whipworms
   Those numbers really surprised me. That means worms are making dogs sick by invading their digestive system and causing serious health issues in my area. Don’t forget that hookworms and roundworms can be transmitted to humans. Nobody has time for that!
The Sentinel Difference
   Sentinel Spectrum Beef provides 6 in 1 protection in a tasty beef- flavored chew. It is much easier and far less expensive to prevent these six parasites than it is to treat them. You can have a Remind Me® notice sent by email or text so that you never miss your pup’s chew. Ask your veterinarian about preventing heartworm, hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms, AND fleas from the inside out with Sentinel Spectrum.
Let’s Have Some Fun!
   Virbac Sentinel Spectrum has a survey that you can take to test your parasite knowledge. It won’t take a flea flicking minute and the results will be used for an info-graphic that will appear right here on Barking from the Bayou. Please click here to be magically transported to the survey page and check back next month for the results. Thanks in advance!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum®. The opinions and text are all mine.

30 comments :

  1. There are sum horrid nasty thingys that want to share my floofy body...yuk
    Its great there are sum good stuffs to take to help keep me freeloaders free!
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

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  2. Sentinel is our go to medicine - we have used it for years

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  3. All good tips! Thanks for the great review!

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  4. We take our heartworm and flea and tick medications regularly. I won't eat my portion, so Mom has to force it into my mouth. I have tried many kinds, but refuse to eat them. Stay safe from those nasty creatures.

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  5. show all paw-rasites the paw! Great post for all who want to spend a flea-free summer :o)

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  6. Great post! We use regular Sentinel but are going to talk to our vet to see if we should switch to Spectrum. I suspect maybe they'll phase out the regular version...

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  7. No wants to deal with those nasty fleas or parasites! That's why it's so important to see your vet and get protected.

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  8. I do not do heartworm year round at the advice of my vet. We go May through November. With my dog with lymphoma, we go 45 days in between as well (again at the advice of the vet). I would use it year round though if I lived where winters were warmer.

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  9. Sounds like such an amazing product. I love that it protects dogs against so many different things.

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  10. We hate all those nasty little creatures, they make our skin crawl! The Goldens get heart worm pills all year long even in our cold winters. We are going to look into Sentinel Spectrum, it sounds like a great and effective product.

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  11. I think I give this to my dog .. but he needs tick prevention too. Unfortunately, he's a flea magnet and there are tonnes of ticks and heart worm in my area.

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  12. WE are lucky to not have a flea problem and heartworm is rare too
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  13. Yes, we use it year round! We don't have fleas and hardly ever a tic around here.

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  14. As we live in a temperate climate we are conscius of fleas all year round! We don't get the long term deep cold that might live many of the little blighters, i wish we did!

    Harvey Button @ Dash Kitten

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  15. Great post and photos! I love that they have a "remind me" option, as that's always something that can be difficult to remember!

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  16. Heartworm isn't that common here but due to the mild weather, we have tons of fleas!

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  17. I've been hearing a lot about these chews and wonder if I could get Mauja to eat them. She's quite the particular one... ;)

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  18. Great tips! thanks for the review!

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  19. We have been giving Cocoa Advantix and during the peak months. This year I was concerned because we had such a mild winter.

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  20. Wonderful review!!! Thank you so much for sharing! :)

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  21. Nobody likes parasites, but we do not do year round on advice of our vet. If we lived farther south, for sure t would be year round.

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  22. Great review! We do preventative all year long. After having a dog who was on a preventative seasonally become heartworm positive after a fluke warm(ish) spell in the fall, all dogs since have been treated year round.

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  23. Those are horrible odds of getting nasty suckers and getting sick. Even worse than here and I am nervous. Planning visit to vet, just wish Kilo was not so difficult.

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  24. I used to think I didn't need to treat Truffle and Brulee year round, but now I know better. We're in the South, so we have critters year round.

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  25. I wish I could take the chewables...they make my puke. nuts.
    Which makes the fact that I'm allergic to fleas all that much worse!!
    Still the topical for me....a tip from the vettie tech, was put it on right before I leave for my walkie, then I can rub it off on the furniture!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  26. These sure would be a lot less messy then topicals!

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  27. Great post and wonderful important info! Thanks for sharing.

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  28. Because it's so dry in the Mile High, fleas aren't a huge problem, but I spritz essential oils on Sam just to make sure, especially when he's around other dogs. Can't have him walking into the hospital with some piggy-back riders, now can we? :)

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  29. Fleas are scarier than I thought, time to start taking them more seriously!

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