Heartworm is a nasty disease affecting our pets, and mosquitoes transmit it from animal to animal. As the name suggests, heartworms live in the heart, and they can also thrive in the lungs and blood vessels. Because they constrict blood flow, they can damage internal organs and cause lung disease and heart failure.
If your dog contracts heartworms, there is a treatment regimen, but it’s harsh and expensive. Currently, there is no cure for cats.
It only takes one bite to infect your pet with heartworm. The good news is there are a number of steps you as a pet parent can take to decrease your pet’s exposure to mosquitos, including:
- Keeping your property free of standing water
- Cleaning your pet bowls weekly to eliminate the presence of mosquito eggs
- Turning over or covering all recycling bins, buckets, or trash cans
You’ll also want to make sure to keep your pet on heartworm preventative all year round. We carry several effective and affordable heartworm preventatives in our hospital pharmacy and online. We also include a heartworm test in every annual wellness check.
Do you need to stock up on your pet’s favorite heartworm preventative? Is it time to schedule a heartworm test? Give us a call at (772) 287-0024.