April is an important month for pet health. It’s Prevention of Lyme Disease in Dogs Month and Heartworm Awareness Month. As spring comes into full swing and you start enjoying more time outdoors with your pets, protect your fur family with natural products and smart tips.
Prevention of Lyme Disease in Dogs Month
Lyme disease is caused by a spiral-shaped bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi that some black-legged tick species carry. If an infected tick is allowed to stay on your pup more than a day or two, the bacteria can be transferred and serious symptoms can develop.
According to PetMD:
“Common signs of Lyme disease include lameness, fever, swollen lymph nodes and joints, and a reduced appetite. In severe cases, animals may develop kidney disease, heart conditions, or nervous system disorders. Animals do not develop the tell-tale ‘Lyme disease rash’ that is commonly seen in humans with Lyme disease.”
What’s the good news? Since ticks transmit the illness, we can prevent Lyme disease in dogs by keeping ticks away from them in the first place and taking swift action if ticks are present. Help your dog stay healthy by following our no-tick tips:
- Spray your pup 2-3 times a week and before outings with a natural, organic flea & tick spray like Wondercide’s essential-oil-based Flea & Tick for Pets + Home.
- Keep an on-the-go 4oz spray in your car as well as your backpack or tote so you always have protection on hand.
- Avoid hiking in areas where ticks love to be. Ticks thrive in tall brush areas, so stay in the middle of a path or trail when possible.
- Inspect your pup after a hike and before your get back into your car or home. Keep a flat top comb or flea comb with you and run it through your pet’s hair to draw out ticks.
- When you get home, take a closer look and if you see a tick. If you do, follow Dogs Naturally Magazine’s “Tips and Tricks for Removing Ticks.”
- If your dog was bitten by a tick, after you’ve removed the tick, soothe the skin with Wondercide’s Skin Tonic Spray.
- Find a qualified vet who can further advise you about prevention and guide you through treatment should your pet need it. You can search vets at ahvma.org, theavh.org or pivh.org.
Heartworm Awareness Month
Heartworm is another serious condition that can affect your pet. It’s a parasitic roundworm that is spread through the bites of mosquitos. These worms live in the heart, lungs and related blood vessels of affected pets. Dogs and cats can get heartworm disease and can suffer from lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs as a result. Following the advice of your holistic vet is essential.
One proactive measure to help your pet is to keep biting bugs, in this case mosquitos, away. Wondercide’s Flea & Tick sprays for Pets + Home and Yard + Garden kill and repel not only fleas and ticks, but also mosquitoes. Now’s a great time to stock up for spring and summer!
PLEASE NOTE: Our products don’t get absorbed into your pet’s bloodstream, so they won’t kill heartworms or their larvae that have already entered your pet’s body. That’s why it’s important to help your furry loved one get the best advice on heartworm prevention and treatment. Find a qualified vet at ahvma.org, theavh.org or pivh.org who can guide you on how to keep your pet safe and healthy.
Help us Spread the Word
Help us spread the word about the importance of using safe, non-toxic flea, tick, and mosquito prevention.
Enjoy the great outdoors with your pack and have fun outside in this beautiful world of ours. Just be sure to protect the ones you love by using natural flea, tick and mosquito control products and take quick action if you suspect your pet has been exposed.
Also important to note, a healthy animal with a strong immune system, undamaged by over vaccinating, toxic flea & tick meds etc, are highly unlikely to ever become symptomatic even if bitten by an effected tick…..?
Just saw you on Shark Tank! My Akita died recently, and I always hated giving him those flea and tick topicals or chewable….he ended up with Lymes anyway. I will contact you again when I am ready for another dog.
By the way, I love your website….can you tell me who designed it?
Thanks for a GREAT product!
Suzanne
Thank you so much for your support, Susan! We’re sorry to hear about the passing of your Akita. Wondercide’s original Wonderpup Luna was an Akita mix, and we hope they are playing together over the Rainbow Bridge ?
To answer your question, Wondercide’s team of designers created our website – we’re so glad you like it. Regards!
I’m still worried about heartworm disease. I read above that , if I understand right, all I do is keep control of mosquitoes bite. Keep my yard sprayed, etc. I have 2 ShihTzu’s , 2 Yorkies and 1 cockapoo. They are 8 years old approximately except for 1 of my Yorkies. She is nearly 2 yrs old. I have experienced problems with itching. Probably allergies. One of the ShihTzu’s has an anal gland that would not heal up. I think the biggest preventative measure I’ve taken to being healthy is switching them to Primal Raw food. They love it and the ShihTzu healed up and not a problem since. I only know the itching is better. Any help please. I do think vaccines have contributed to small skin growths on them.
I can do the Wondercide for fleas & ticks, but WORRIED about heartworm disease.
Thanks for reaching out to us with your questions, Janet. We’d love to help you.
While Wondercide does not have an official recommendation for heartworm prevention, our Flea and Tick Control for Pets + Home spray both kills and repels mosquitoes and can be an effective part of your heartworm prevention regimen. However, as our product does not work by absorbing into your pet’s bloodstream, it will not be able to kill heartworms or their larvae that have already entered your pet’s body.
As you’ve noted, to further assist in eliminating heartworm-carrying mosquitoes from your home, treating your lawn our outdoor areas is also a great idea. Our Flea & Tick Control for Yard + Garden will kill and repel mosquitoes from your outdoor living environment, and is an effective approach for protecting your pets.
Deciding what is going to be the best for you and your pets in regards to heartworm prevention can be tricky, so we always recommend consulting with a local holistic veterinarian in regards to the specific risk factors in your area. If you are unsure of a vet near you, the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association maintains a list of holistic vets throughout the US that you can search HERE!
Lastly, if your dogs are experiencing any sort of itchiness or skin irritation, we do have a fabulous product called Skin Tonic. This spray can be applied topically to help sooth irritation cased by allergies, skin infections, etc. It sounds like you are well on your way to finding natural solutions (feeding a high-quality, natural diet is a great choice!), and the Skin Tonic is a great additional step to help your pups feel comfortable.
Thank you again for reaching out to us, and please let us know if there is anything further we can help you with!
Heartworm is a disease which likes to set up its residence in the heart. The worm presents in the blood vessel that carries the blood to the lungs from the heart. Difficulty in breathing, lingering cough, enlarged liver- are the symptoms of canine heartworm. If it is left untreated, then it can cause death due to heart failure. Similarly, Lyme disease is a bacterial sickness that can be transmitted commonly to the pups by a specific genus of ticks. The bacterium called Borrelia is the reason behind the Lyme infection in your canine companion. Fever, depression, appetite loss- are the symptoms by which a pet parent can guess his pooch has a Lyme infirmity. I think in both the cases(heartworm and Lyme), a pet owner should consult a reputable vet in order to prevent the indisposition from becoming fatal.
David,
Thanks for sharing these tips. We agree, both Heartworms and Lyme are serious health concerns, and having a good plan of action to safely and naturally prevent these conditions is so important.
Pets owners in the US can use resources like the ahvma.org to find holistic vets in their area, to help them asses the ricks and develop a treatment plan.
Using safe, proven products like Wondercide’s Flea & Tick for Pets+Home spray and our Yard+Garden concentrates can also help people deal with pests like ticks and misquotes naturally, and keep their furry family pest-free!
Hi there, just ordered your flea tick and mosquito product because it came highly recommended. We have two rescued Shih Tzu mix 1 year old puppies. We have decided not to spay them at this time because it seems healthier after all the research. They had their puppy shots initially but we will be doing titers on them before vaccinated again. The main thing I’m really scared about is that they do Trifexis each month and I just hate the chemicals. It breaks my heart to give it to them each month. I was wondering what your thoughts are on another option for the heartworm? I feel that the product I just ordered from you will be a good repellent for fleas ticks and mosquitoes and keeping their immune system as healthy as possible obviously is a huge Factor. Is there something that you would recommend chest for heartworm prevention without all the other chemicals too? We will test them yearly for heartworm. They are mainly indoors with their walk about town and the neighborhood park where we run them on the weekends. Also, we live in Sunnyvale California. Thanks so much for any advice, Diane Jacowsky
Hi, Diane.
While Wondercide does not have an official recommendation for heartworm prevention, our Flea and Tick Control for Pets + Home spray both kills and repels mosquitoes and can be an effective part of your heartworm prevention regimen! However, as our product does not work by absorbing into your pet’s bloodstream, it will not be able to kill heartworms or their larvae that have already entered your pet’s body.
To further assist in eliminating heartworm-carrying mosquitoes from your home, we recommend treating your lawn with Flea & Tick Control for Yard + Garden to kill and repel them from the outdoor living environment. This is an effective approach for protecting the ones your love, pets and families alike.
Deciding what is going to be the best for you and your pets in regards to heartworm prevention can be a lofty undertaking, as there are so many factors that go into exactly what level of protection is going to work best in your situation. We always recommend consulting with a local holistic veterinarian in regards to questions like this, as they will know much more about the specific risk factors in your area.
Please let us know if there is anything further we can help you with. We’re here for you!
Thanks so very much for your quick reply.