Heartworms are a serious, year-round parasitic threat to your pet’s health. After an infection occurs, treatment is not only very expensive, but can also be life threatening. Heartworms are common in southeast Louisiana, and can infect both our canine and feline companions. Heartworms are spread when a mosquito bites an infected animal and then transfers the juvenile worms when it bites a healthy animal. Unless your pet is taking a heartworm preventative, these immature worms can grow into adults that can cause serious damage to your pet’s blood vessels, lungs and heart, and may even cause death.
Prevention, however, is relatively easy and inexpensive. We recommend starting puppies on a preventative treatment before they are 6 months of age. For any dog that is over a year old, we recommend testing before beginning treatment if no prior treatment has been given. We also recommend yearly heartworm checks, even if on a preventative, to ensure that the treatment is effective.
There are several options available for prevention of this potentially life threatening disease. Preventatives can keep your dog or cat healthy and are much less expensive than having to treat adult heartworms. Our veterinarian will determine which preventative is right for your pet, based on needs and lifestyle.
For more information about heartworms, checkout https://www.heartwormsociety.org/