Heartworm Awareness Month 2022
April is Heartworm Awareness Month
What is heartworm disease?
It is a potentially deadly infection caused by worms that live in the right side of the heart and arteries of the lungs and is spread through mosquitoes. The infection can eventually lead to heart failure, and in severe cases, damage other organs such as the the liver and kidneys. These worms can grow to be 14 inches long and a dog can be infected with several hundred worms.
How is it spread?
Heartworms are spread when mosquitoes become infected with microfilariae while taking blood meal from an infected dog. The microfilariae mature into the infective larval stage within the mosquito. When they bite another dog, cat, or susceptible animal, it passes the larvae into the animals bloodstream, resulting in heartworm infection. It can take a little over 6 months for the infective larvae to mature into adult worms that can live for five to seven years in the dog.
Heartworm disease is completely preventable and while there is treatment, it is a complicated, expensive process and could potentially be fatal. Our doctors recommended Interceptor Plus for heartworm prevention. Not only is it the best for heartworms, it is one of the only preventions that protects from all 5 major worms including tapeworms, whipworms, hookworms and roundworms. We currently have a great rebate going on for $100 off a years worth of Interceptor Plus and Credelio ($60 in house, $40 online).
Give us a call at 770-889-0737 to learn more and get your heartworm prevention.
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