April is Heartworm Awareness Month

Heartworm is an endemic parasite found to be very common in the south/southwestern United States. There were approximately 1.1 million dogs who tested positive in 2019 alone. Even areas of the U.S. where heartworm wasn’t considered common, such as the north east and west coast, is slowing increasing with positive cases over the years.

Heartworm is a blood-borne pathogen given to dogs through mosquito bites, which makes this disease hard to control when mosquitos are everywhere. We use a quick blood test to screen your pet for presence of these heartworms, so that we can determine if prevention or treatment is the course of action. Heartworm.

That is why the best prevention for pets is to take a once-a-month preventative in the form of a treat, so that if your pet was bit by a mosquito that had heartworm, it would be killed before it can cause harm to your pet. It is very important to give the preventative at the same time every month to be the most effective. It is always better to invest a small amount of money every month to prevent heartworm than it would be to pay for the expensive and lengthy surgery to remove and kill off heartworms once they have developed in your pet. 

As always, consult with your veterinarian to answer any questions or concerns regarding your pet’s health and safety around any medical conditions, including heartworm. As a team, you and your vet can have great success in keeping your pet healthy and living their best life.