Susan E. Little, DVM, PhD, DACVM (parasitology)

Controlling parasites protects the human-animal bond, ensuring that fleas, ticks and internal parasites don't come between pets and their owners while also protecting pet and public health.

The National Center for Veterinary Parasitology and Companion Animal Parasite Council address emerging needs in understanding and managing heartworms and other complex parasites.

The common ticks on dogs and cats in North America are all three host ticks. Accordingly, the larvae, nymphs, and adults of each species must each quest, attach to a host, and feed before leaving the host to molt or deposit eggs in the environment.

Testing for Lyme disease and anaplasmosis often involves detection of antibodies. Antibodies may be detected on a patient-side assay such as the 3Dx/4Dx SNAP tests or using IFA at a reference lab. The SNAP test uses C6 as the target antigen and thus the B. burgdorferi result is very specific.

In many areas of the US, tick populations are dense, and at certain times of the year and when climatic factors are ideal, tick activity may be very high, overwhelming the ability of an acaricide to control ticks on dogs.

Despite the advent of highly effective, easily administered broad-spectrum parasite control products for cats, infection with intestinal parasites in general, and ascarids (roundworms) in particular, remains a common finding in cats.