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We’re at 5685 Hazeldean Road, Unit #4.
Over the last two years we have been battling a human pandemic but in the Ottawa area vets are fighting against another disease, Lyme. And now, not just Lyme but we are starting to see more and more Anaplasmosis. We are also seeing rescues coming from more tropical places with other tick transmitted diseases.
Hazeldean Animal Hospital recognizes the challenges that our new world has presented and we know that for some owners, getting out to get their tick prevention, their Lyme vaccines, or even paying for it in some cases has been difficult in these times. It is never too late to get back to our routines for prevention. So, whether you have been on it through all the struggles or just want to get back to the routines we once knew, this newsletter is here to remind you – ticks love cool and damp weather, generally what we see by the end of March! Don’t worry yet about starting your heartworm medication – still too cold for those creatures and we will send out another set of information closer to that time.
As a reminder to our long-time clients and a little information for the new ones who joined the world of puppy ownership – a test is not required to start tick preventions. If you wish to do annual heartworm, Lyme, Anaplasmosis and Ehrichia testing, that can be done any time as long as it is the same time each year – so feel free to book with us as it does provide a lot of comfort to be checking regularly (especially for Lyme – there is so much!). If your focus is heartworm and you do not wish to test every year, that is a project for May! Your medication choices are topical or oral for tick prevention – generally K9 Advantix topically or Nexgard/NexgardSpectra orally. There are benefits to topical – it stops the tick from attaching and provides protections against mosquitos and blackflies. There are benefits to oral – it avoids the itchy skin a few dogs get with topicals and may work a little better for dogs that live in the water.
For the outdoor cat owners – there is a new product – Nexgard combo – it helps with ticks, fleas and 
de-worming, including the tapeworm that our champion hunting cats can carry very quietly. No one wants to wake up to tapeworm segments on their pillow! Contact us for more information.
Whatever your needs, we are here to advise and help. There is so much misinformation out there we want to make sure your decisions are educated ones. Follow through with tick prevention right through until next November or December (weather dependent), if there are issues with treatment, call and talk. When you are at the park, help out those new dog owners by sending them to their veterinarian with questions – not their cousin’s neighbour’s best friend! You have heard vets are very busy and we are. But if you send us an email with the questions, we can respond between appointment, after hours or pick up the phone when we can to get clarification for you – we will always try to communicate with you somehow.