We have been seeing quite a big increase recently in the amount of dogs who are testing positive for heartworm and therefore we thought it very timely to share some information with our clients to help understand the importance of prevention in controlling heartworm.
Did you know that just one bite from a mosquito can give your dog heartworm? It is spread between dogs by mosquitos and one bite is all it takes. Through that bite, your dog can get infected with young heartworms that can develop and eventually grow up to 30cm long in the heart and lungs. This leads to heart failure, lung disease, organ damage and death.
The Heartworm Lifecycle (5-6 months)
Heartworm disease is a risk through all of Australia.
It is possible to treat heartworm infection, but the treatment program is expensive and can cause serious complications. Prevention is definitely better than cure.
Protecting your dog from Heartworm
There are a number of ways to protect your dog from heartworm. One option is to give monthly treatments to your dog, and these often include flea and tick prevention as well as treating some intestinal worms. However forgetting monthly treatment is one of the leading causes of deadly heartworm disease in dogs.
If you think you might forget to give your dog their heartworm prevention every month, there is a year-round prevention (given by injection) available which can be administered at our clinic simply by making an appointment with one of our vets.
Testing for heartworm is recommended when heartworm prevention is unknown or lage. Testing is performed in the clinic and only requires a small blood sample from your dog. Results are known within minutes.
If you would like to make an appointment to have your dog tested for heartworm, please just phone and we can make an appointment for you.
Please call us anytime if you would like to know more about this protection, or if you have any questions at all about your pet’s health.