Year Round Heartworm Testing & Medication Provides the Protection Your Pet Needs

Caring for your dog means providing the best food, shelter and living conditions that you can. You may spend money on toys, training or grooming, however be sure to consider a simple preventative health measure: annual heartworm testing and year round daily medication.

You may ask: what are heartworms and why are they a threat to my pet? Heart worms are about six inches long. They live mostly in the heart and the large blood vessels. The tiny worms first move into the dog's tissue and then the heart, where they grow and reproduce. As they reproduce new immature worms are sent into the bloodstream where they are picked up by mosquitoes. The mosquitoes then spread the parasite to the next dog they bite. Adult male and female worms living in the heart produce thousands of microscopic baby worms which circulate throughout the body. As the heartworms live and reproduce, their presence in your pet can cause heart failure.

As you can see, heartworm disease is serious business. Heartworms have been diagnosed in all 50 states and worldwide. If your pet is anywhere there are mosquitoes, your pet will have heartworms. It is important for pet owners to know how to get their pets tested for heartworms and how to prevent heartworms from flourishing in your pet’s body.

Testing for heartworms in pets involves obtaining a small blood sample. This tests looks for evidence of the presence of adult heartworms. Almost all veterinarians agree on the necessity of heartworm preventive medication for every pet. Your veterinarian will test your pet for heartworms before starting on a monthly regimen of heartworm preventive medication for the first time, unless the dog is less than 6 months of age. After that, annual heartworm testing is recommended for all pets, even when receiving year-round heartworm preventive medication.

Some may think that it is only necessary to test for heartworms in the Spring. This could not be further from the truth. There may be more mosquitoes present in the Spring and Summer, but once your pet has been bitten and infected with microscopic heartworms, they can mature and begin to cause health problems in your pet. If you are unsure of the last time your pet was tested for heartworms, visit your veterinarian, regardless of the season. Prevention is better than having to treat your pet once heartworm disease is present. Here is a list of the effects of heartworm disease on your pet:

Practice pet smarts and be sure to participate in a minimum annual heartworm test, even when year-round heartworm preventive medication is administered. Be sure to follow your veterinarian’s instructions on how to administer the heartworm medication. By working together, you and your veterinarian can protect your pet from heartworm disease.