Advocate is a topical spot-on treatment designed to prevent and treat fleas, lungworm, biting lice, ear mites and sarcoptic mange in pets. For best results it’s important to follow your veterinarian’s recommendations for application frequency based on your pet’s individual needs.
Advocate is composed of imidacloprid and moxidectin as its active ingredients, both of which may lead to mild but temporary skin reactions at application sites in some animals.
Fleas
Advocate is a topical treatment designed to kill fleas instantly on contact, prevent heartworm disease and control intestinal worms such as roundworm, hookworm and whipworm. Additionally, Advocate treats sarcoptic mange while aiding in the control of ear mites.
Advocate is composed of imidacloprid and moxidectin as active ingredients; these pet-safe insecticides work by interfering with external parasites’ nervous systems, leading to paralysis or death.
Flea bites can be extremely irritating to both humans and pets alike. Some individuals can have an allergic reaction that causes their skin to swell, redden and itch around every bite – this can become worse over time without intervention from Advocate. Advocate is designed to lessen such allergic reactions in both people and animals alike.
Lungworm
Lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) infection is a potentially lethal condition in which parasites grow inside of your dog’s lungs, leading to breathing issues, blood clots in eyes and nose, severe bowel upset and even death if left untreated.
Lungworm infection in your dog can be diagnosed by taking a sample of their faeces for analysis by your veterinarian, who may also conduct an X-ray exam to check for changes to their lungs.
Advocate contains moxidectin and is designed to treat lungworms, fleas and other intestinal worms in dogs. Additionally, it helps control sarcoptic mange. Unfortunately, however, Advocate does not protect against heartworm or ticks and so you should continue using products designed to do this at regular intervals as recommended by your veterinarian.
Roundworms
Puppies can develop roundworms by eating feces that contains infectious eggs. Once consumed, these eggs travel through the digestive tract and into their lungs where they hatch out as larvae – eventually maturing into adults in the small intestine and laying their own eggs. Roundworms may also be transmitted transplacentally from infected female dogs that pass larvae via placental transfer to unborn puppies via transplacental transmission.
Roundworms can be treated using antihelmintic medication such as pyrantel and fenbendazole. Puppies should receive dewormers every two weeks until eight weeks of age, then monthly thereafter. Nursing mothers should also receive dewormers to reduce the risk of transmitting encysted larvae between pups. Many heartworm preventatives also provide effective treatment; consult your vet about which options would work best for your dog.
Hookworms
Hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum) parasites attach themselves to intestinal walls and consume blood, with mild infections often showing no symptoms whatsoever, while heavy infestation can result in diarrhea as well as anemia (decrease in red blood cells) in puppies.
Dogs may accidentally consume hookworm eggs by sniffing or eating contaminated soil, licking their paws when outdoors or drinking contaminated water, or by drinking from sources with high contamination levels. Larvae can penetrate skin causing itching known as VLCM; and some strains of Ancylostoma caninum have developed genetic resistance to antihelmintics, leading to persistent egg shedding and increased egg counts in their feces despite treatment – regular fecal float testing can help identify resistant strains – while speaking with your veterinarian on effective solutions tailored for both your pet and environment will.
Heartworm
Infected dogs, cats and other mammals produce microscopic baby worms called microfilariae that circulate throughout their bloodstream. When mosquitoes take a blood meal from an infected animal, mosquitoes pick up these microscopic baby worms which develop into “infective stage larvae”. They then transfer these microfilariae to new host animals they bite upon.
Dogs living or traveling regularly through heartworm-endemic areas, or those prone to them, should receive monthly heartworm preventive medication from their veterinarian. Advocate contains the ingredients Imidacloprid and Moxidectin which, when applied directly to their skin, kill internal parasites by interfering with nervous system transmission pathways and inhibiting nervous system transmission processes.
Heartworm disease has no vaccine, and treatment can be both costly and complicated. Your veterinarian will develop a personalized plan, typically including several steps, during which time your pup must remain cage restraint with severely limited exercise opportunities.