Fetch Year-Round Parasite Protection with #SentinelSpectrum

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.

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.

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.