Worming frequency?

jenn52

We are in CA, so she doesn't have to take heartworm meds.

The Heartworm Society disagrees.

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=11

Canine heartworm infection is widely distributed throughout the United States.  Heartworm infection has been found in dogs native to all 50 states.  All dogs, regardless of their age, sex, or habitat, are susceptible to heartworm infection. The highest infection rates (up to 45%) in dogs (not maintained on heartworm preventive) are observed within 150 miles of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from the Gulf of Mexico to New Jersey and along the Mississippi River and its major tributaries. Other areas of the United States may have lower incidence rates (5% or less) of canine heartworm disease, while some regions have environmental, mosquito population and dog population factors that allow a higher local incidence of heartworm infection. Regions where heartworm disease is common have diagnosed infections in dogs as young as one year of age, with most areas diagnosing infections primarily between the ages of three and eight years.  Although there are differences in frequency of infection for various groups of dogs, all dogs in all regions should be considered at risk, placed on prevention programs and frequently examined by a veterinarian.

I use Interceptor -- simply because it covers nearly all the bases (heartworm, hooks, whips, etc.). 

She won't have to be continually wormed for roundworm -- that's pretty much a puppy thing, and then they become dormant in the body (that's an over-simplification but repeated worming doesn't do anything). 

 I know some vets in California somehow are saying there isn't a problem there, which doesn't make any sense logically at all really. 

I have fecals done at least annually, but because I use the Interceptor on all my dogs I don't have to do it more often.