Veterinary Wellness Blog

Springtime means Sentinel Spectrum time!

April 2, 2014

As spring (finally) rolls around, we start to think of bugs.  In Minnesota, this includes the unofficial “state bird”, the mosquito.  Mosquitoes carry and transmit deadly heartworm disease.  To prevent this potentially fatal disease, we recommend monthly heartworm preventative medication.

There are many heartworm preventatives on the market today, but do you know what you’re getting?  Some medications contain substances which can be toxic to cats in the household.  Others are cheaper but don’t protect as well.  Some even have been proven to be ineffective against resistant strains of heartworm disease.  For a variety of reasons, we recommend Sentinel Spectrum as our monthly heartworm preventative.

Sentinel Spectrum is very similar to the Sentinel tablets we have been recommending for years.  It prevents against heartworm disease, but also has deworming medication effective against roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms.  This is important because these intestinal parasites can cause disease in pets and some can even be transmitted to humans.  Sentinel and Sentinel Spectrum also have an ingredient that is effective against fleas.  Lastly, Sentinel Spectrum has an additional ingredient that works against tapeworms.

Tapeworms are transmitted via fleas or from rodents or wildlife (squirrels, rabbits, etc.).  Tapeworms are difficult for the veterinary community to find on routine stool sample checks, and when not found can continue to grow and cause disease in our pets.  Also, some tapeworms can be transmitted to humans.  For these reasons, a medication which can help prevent tapeworms is a great idea for many pets.

Due to the wide range of coverage provided by Sentinel Spectrum, we at Heritage Animal Hospital use and recommend Sentinel Spectrum.  It is a once a month heartworm, intestinal parasite, and flea preventative that comes in a tasty chewable tablet.  The comparison is clear.

 

Sentinel and Sentinel Spectrum are trademarks of Novartis.  Heartgard Plus is a trademark of Merial.