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Parasite Prevention

Protect your pet from fleas, ticks, heartworms, and more with year-round parasite prevention plans.

Parasite Prevention: Protecting Your Pet Inside and Out
Parasites may be small, but the problems they cause can be serious. Fleas, ticks, heartworms, and intestinal parasites not only make your pet uncomfortable, but they can also lead to major health issues if left untreated. That’s why parasite prevention is a cornerstone of responsible pet care.

At our clinic, we take a proactive approach to help keep your pet safe, healthy, and itch-free year-round.

Why Parasite Prevention Matters

Parasites are more than a nuisance. Some carry diseases that affect your pet’s organs, immune system, and even your family. Others, like intestinal worms, may go unnoticed until your pet shows signs of illness.

Preventive care helps avoid:

  • Itchy, irritated skin

  • Allergic reactions (especially to flea bites)

  • Transmission of Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and other tick-borne illnesses

  • Intestinal upset, weight loss, or anemia from worms

  • Potentially fatal heartworm disease

  • Risk of zoonotic transmission (parasites that spread to humans)

With the right plan in place, most of these issues are entirely preventable.

Common Parasites We Guard Against

External Parasites

  • Fleas – cause skin issues and may lead to flea allergy dermatitis

  • Ticks – can transmit serious diseases with just one bite

  • Mites – microscopic pests that lead to ear infections and mange

Internal Parasites

  • Roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, whipworms – live in the intestines and can cause digestive problems, especially in puppies and kittens

  • Heartworms – transmitted by mosquitoes, heartworms grow inside the heart and lungs and can be life-threatening if untreated

Prevention Options We Offer

We tailor parasite prevention based on your pet’s lifestyle, age, and regional risks. Options include:

  • Monthly chewable or topical preventives

  • Routine deworming (especially for puppies, kittens, or outdoor pets)

  • Annual fecal exams and heartworm testing

Many of today’s preventatives offer broad-spectrum protection—one dose can cover multiple parasites.

What to Watch For

  • Scratching or biting at the skin

  • Scooting or licking around the rear

  • Visible worms in stool or vomit

  • Lethargy, coughing, or changes in appetite (potential signs of heartworm)

If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s best to schedule an exam right away.

Parasite prevention is simple, affordable, and highly effective. Staying consistent with your pet’s prevention plan protects not only their health—but also your household.

💙 Whether it’s a checkup, questions, or care needs, visit us—we’re here to be your partner in your pet’s health.

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Grass Lake Animal Hospital FAQs

There is no question too big or too small for our veterinary team.

No, there is no advantage to letting your pet have one litter. However, Grass Lake Animal Hospital advises that there are plenty of advantages to having your pet spayed or neutered. These advantages include decreasing the chances of breast tumors later in life, decreasing the chance of cystic ovaries and uterine infections later in life, decreasing the desire to roam the neighborhood, decreasing the incidence of prostate cancer later in life, helping prevent spraying and marking, and also decreases the surplus of unwanted puppies and kittens. Please discuss any questions you might have about whether to spay or neuter your pet and when to do it with one of our technicians or doctors.

Most procedures involving external skin sutures require them to be removed in 10-14 days following the surgery. Most spays and neuters do not have external skin sutures and do not need to return here at Grass Lake Animal Hospital for suture removal.

This is a blood test that is run here in the clinic of Grass Lake Animal Hospital prior to surgery. It tests the organ functions, blood counts and clotting function of your pet. The pre-anesthetic blood screening is done to assure safety during surgery and the ability to heal following surgery.

Here at Grass Lake Animal Hospital, spaying or neutering can be done at approximately 6 months of age. Your pet is given an exam prior to surgery to help determine whether your pet is healthy enough to undergo the surgical procedure. Current vaccinations, negative fecal and up-to-date heartworm tests if appropriate are required at the time of surgery. A pre-anesthetic blood screen is recommended prior to undergoing anesthesia and surgery. You can find more information in our FAQ about anesthesia.

Payment is required at the time of service. Grass Lake Animal Hospital offers CareCredit as an option for those who need a way to make payments.

Grass Lake Animal Hospital accepts Cash, Check, Discover, Mastercard and Visa.