What You Need to Know About Parasites in the Hudson Valley

Authored by Dr. Sarah Wolff

Parasites may not be an everyday word in your house, but they are an everyday experience for your pets. Cats and dogs in the Hudson Valley are exposed to an incredible range of creepies and crawlies trying to make a home in the fur, skin, intestines, and blood streams of our pets.

Do you know what the worst part is? These parasites are at work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Despite inches of snow on the ground or blisteringly hot days, these parasites are plotting their conquests.

The winter months in New York can be particularly deceiving – how the heck could anything survive in this weather? Well, the bugs we’re talking about have spent thousands of years developing ways to do just that, meaning we’re still in the thick of pet parasite “season”, even months after everything else seems to go on pause.

Ticks are of particular concern in the winter, as they evolved to go dormant during periods of extreme weather and to wake up the moment we get a thaw. It may seem pretty darn cold out to us, but even a few days in the 40’s can be enough for ticks to be active in January or February. (And let’s be honest: we now have days much warmer than that throughout the Winter!)

Since the weather fluctuates non stop here, there is no “tick free season” in the Hudson Valley.

Ticks themselves aren’t that dangerous; they are annoying and really creepy (have you seen how they creep around???), but the real danger is what they are carrying: a whole family of bacterial infections they transfer into our pets. Lyme disease, Ehrlichia infections, and Anaplasmosis are three of the most common fallouts we see from ticks on the East Coast.

We’re also seeing a rapid rise in heartworm infections. While we’ve always seen frequent intestinal parasite infections (often called “worms” for short), heartworm was a rare bug. With changing weather patterns and more pets moving to New York from Southern states, this parasite has become an unavoidable reality in our region.

I used to work in Virginia, where heartworm infections were relatively common. After moving to New York, I’d only seen a couple over the last ten years, and usually in pets who had lived in other parts of the country. Things really changed in 2020-2021.

Over the last year, we’ve had a constant stream of cases at Companion Pet Hospital, including pets who were infected with heartworm while living in New York! From Garrison to Carmel, we’re finding pets contract heartworm infections all year round.

This might be a good moment to clarify what heartworm is: literally a worm that lives in our pet’s hearts. Dogs and cats are infected through the bite of a mosquito, which transfers microscopic juvenile worms directly into our pet’s bloodstream. Six months later those babies have grown into full-fledged worms themselves and set up shop in the main blood vessels of the heart and lungs.

Yeah–yuck, ick, gross, and yikes!

Between tick-borne diseases and heartworm infections, the challenge is clear: we’ve got to put up a good defense all year round to keep the dogs and cats of the Hudson Valley safe from parasites.
I’ll admit to being a touch forgetful when it comes to my own pets’ protection; after all, the last couple years have been a little distracting! However, after seeing more of my patients ill and hospitalized due to parasites, I’m recommitting to keeping my own fur babies safe.

There are a huge range of different parasite preventatives on the market now, each with its own pros and cons. Unsurprisingly, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to keep your pet safe.

What’s most important is to determine what parasites pose a risk to your pet (spoiler alert: indoor pets are still at risk!) and then talk with your veterinarian about which product combination is the safest option for your cat or dog. We know how overwhelming the selection can be, and it is literally our job to help you figure it out!

If your pet was on preventatives, but may have, umm, skipped a few months… never fear. Get in touch with our team at Companion Pet Hospital to touch base on how to safely restart and to source a refill if needed.

If you aren’t sure that your current products are the best option to prevent ticks or heartworm in the Hudson Valley, we can help you evaluate what you are currently using and what other options you have. Have questions or concerns? That’s to be expected! We have telemed appointments available so you can have them all answered without a trek to the hospital.

Wishing all of our four-legged friends a happy, healthy, and parasite-free 2022!

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