By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The heat may have helped with the flea and tick issues in the short term, but it's still something you need to pay attention to for your pets.
"The ticks will be dying off here," said Randy Smith, DVM with Apple Lane Animal Hospital. "Fleas, if it gets too hot and dry, they'll go dormant again. They'll still pop back out. The cocoons will rehatch and the ones that stay on the animals will live, but the ones that happen to fall off if they are in the yard or whatever, if it gets too hot for them, they will go dormant."
Insects always pop back up as things cool for the fall, though and heartworm infections are always dangerous.
"We recommend year-round heartworm treatment at the clinic," said Erica Miller, DVM. "I like to tell people when they say, well, can I take the winters off? I like to ask them, which months are the winter months to you? Last year, we had warm days all the way into October and November. Better to be safe and just keep them on that chew monthly."
Smith did say though that it is much better in recent years now that they have the heartworm chew, as that used to be a daily medication and it is much more likely to not be forgotten if it is once a month rather than daily.