Facts about Heartworms | Veterinarians in FL | Good Shepherd Pet Hospital

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Facts about Heartworms

A young Leonberger puppy is lying with her face on her dirty and soiled training pad

  1. It takes just one bite from a mosquito that’s infected with heartworm larvae to jeopardize your pet’s health and welfare. And if your pet becomes infected, heartworm disease is often debilitating and can be fatal if it’s not treated.
  2. Dogs may be the companion animal most at risk for heartworms, but cats and ferrets are vulnerable, too
  3. Indoor Pets are at Risk for Heartworms. Disease-carrying mosquitos can easily get inside the home and transmit heartworm disease.
  4. Heartworm Disease is not Just a Summertime Issue, but “mosquito season” can fluctuate from one region to another, and even from one year to the next.
  5. Heartworm disease is a devastating and potentially fatal disease, impacting the heart, lungs and pulmonary blood vessels.
  6. Heartworm disease has been reported in all 50 states. Other areas with standing water, including ponds, lakes and swimming pools, can provide optimal breeding conditions for mosquitos.
  7. In addition to a year-round heartworm-prevention regimen, the AHS recommends annual testing to ensure that the prevention program is working, as nothing works 100 percent of the time.
  8. Heartworm disease is a year-round threat. it’s best to keep your pet on year-round prevention. skipping a month can lead to serious health problems.
  9. Heartworm disease doesn’t spread like a cold or flu. In other words, your pet can’t catch it directly from another animal. Heartworm is spread through a mosquito acquires the heartworm larvae from another infected dog.
  10. It’s less expensive to prevent canine heartworm disease than it is to treat it
  11. It’s extremely rare for humans to get heartworm disease, but they can be exposed to heartworm disease through the bite of mosquito and end up with lung pathology and granulomas in various organs,
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