Heartworms are a risk for your pup. From the city to the suburbs you pup can be infected no matter where you live. We explore ways to protect your pup from this dangerous paracite.
What are heartworms?
Heartworm is caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis. These worms are spread to your dog through mosquito bites. Heartworm can cause severe lung disease, heart failure, other organ damage, and death. In this paracitic relationship, the dog is the definitive host. This means that the worms mature into adults, mate, and produce offspring while living inside the dog. The mosquito is the intermediate host, which means the worms live inside a mosquito for a short period in order to become infective (able to cause heartworm disease). The worms are called “heartworms” because the adults live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of an infected animal.
The American Heartworm Society reminds pet parents:
- Dogs have been diagnosed with heartworm disease in every state in the U.S.
- Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes, so any area of the country that has mosquitoes—even just a few of them—can also have heartworm disease.
- Dogs don’t just need prevention during warm-weather months. Heartworm preventives work by treating heartworms that already infected the pet within the past month or longer; meanwhile, preventives need to be given on time, every time to be effective. That’s why the American Heartworm Society recommends year-round heartworm prevention for pets.
- The American Heartworm Society estimates that…
