A Revolution in Parasite Control
Michael W. Stephan, D.V.M.
Juno Beach Animal Hospital

You are probably aware of the importance of Heartworm prevention for your dog and cat and probably, at one time or another, had to deal with infestations of fleas, earmites, and worms. Fortunately, the advances in veterinary medicine in the past ten years have provided us with products to help us safeguard our pets and our families from these parasites. Nearly all dogs in Florida are on an oral, monthly, year round heartworm prevention, and hopefully your cats are, too. Most dogs and cats also receive a topical monthly dose of flea prevention. Pfizer Animal Health, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies, has just released Revolution, a new product which will protect your pet against both of these pests in one simple application. It also protects dogs and cats against earmites and sarcoptic mange, and it is labeled for prevention of roundworms and hookworms in cats. Studies are presently being done which are expected to prove that it will also protect dogs against roundworms and hookworms, and help protect dogs and cats from ticks.

The active ingredient in Revolution is a semi-synthetic avermectin. This is the same family of drugs as the active ingredient in Heartgard, Interceptor, and Sentinel, the oral heartworm preventatives you have probably been using for years. Revolution is topically applied, like Advantage or Frontline, but it is not greasy. It is a low volume, water based solution that is absorbed through the skin. This is convenient because it means that there is no concern with it being shampooed off, or coming off with frequent swimming once it has been absorbed. Topical application also means that you dont have to worry about your dog or cat refusing to eat their monthly prevention, or vomiting after they've eaten it, leaving you wondering if they got all of the medication.

Revolution is available in convenient single dose tubes, based on body weight. It is available only through veterinarians. While it has been shown to be safe in animals who already have heartworms, it has not been proven to kill adult heartworms, only the young worms they get from the bite of an infected mosquito. For this reason, and annual bloodtest for heartworms, and an annual stool sample for intestinal parasites is still required.

Ask us about starting your dog or cat on Revolution for the maximum in parasite prevention. For more information follow the link on our website for Pfizer Animal Health.