Cascade Hospital for Animals
6730 Cascade Road, SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
(616) 949-0960
(616) 949-2688 (fax)
Hours
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Mo - Th |
7:30 am
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-
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7:00 pm |
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Friday |
7:30 am
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-
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6:00 pm |
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Saturday |
8:00 am
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-
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5:00 pm |
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Sunday |
10:00 am
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-
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5:00 pm |
Doctors'
hours by
appointment only
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back to nutrition |
forward to heartworm and other internal parasites
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Fleas live on your pet's blood. A
flea bites your pet for its blood meal and then lays its eggs in your dog's or cat's
skin. The eggs fall off everywhere your pet goes - your carpet, your furniture,
your car, your bed. The eggs hatch and soon your entire environment is infested
with new fleas who bite your pet. In addition, many pets develop an allergic reaction
to the flea bites (flea bite dermatitis) and can become very uncomfortable.
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Adult Flea
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To stop the infestation cycle, we recommend giving
a monthly flea preventative year round. Products such as
Sentinel® for dogs or
Program® are easy to give pills.
Program® also comes in an
injectable form for cats and offers protection for up to six months.
Revolution® is a topical product for flea prevention. In our
changeable weather environment, it is hard to determine when we are past "flea season".
Even after the adult fleas have died off, their eggs can survive an additional 30
to 60 days or go dormant, leaving you exposed to an infestation at any time. |
The flea preventative differs from a flea treatment
in that, rather than killing the adult fleas, it prevents the flea eggs from fully
developing, thus ending the infestation cycle.
If you do find yourself with an infestation,
we recommend the following to effectively deal with the adult fleas as well as their
eggs:
· Treat all pets in the household with a product to kill the adult fleas.
(We offer flea baths for both cats and dogs)
· Immediately begin treatment of all pets with a flea preventative. Contact
us to recommend and provide the appropriate flea preventative for your pet.
· Spray your entire house, furniture, mattresses, etc. with an flea killing
insecticide - be sure to include your cars if the pet has been in them. Wash all
bedding in hot water. You may need to spray again in two weeks to deal with dormant
eggs. Siphotrol, a safe and effective insecticide, is available at Cascade Hospital
for Animals.
· Vacuum all floors, furniture, bedding, etc. Discard the vacuum bag to
avoid redepositing eggs.
You may, from time to time, see an adult flea on your pet, but, if you are giving
the preventative monthly as prescribed, those adults will not be able to reproduce.
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back to nutrition |
forward to heartworm and other internal parasites
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