Canine Connection

With spring just around the corner, warm weather isn’t far behind. With warm weather comes mosquitoes, and with mosquitoes comes the potential for your dog to be infected with heartworm disease. Heartworms are parasites which are transmitted by mosquitoes as they move from animal to animal. Heartworm is a serious disease which can cause severe damage to your dog’s heart, lungs and other organs, and, left untreated, can be fatal.

The good news about heartworm is that it’s easily preventable. Start by having your dog tested for heartworm yearly. All this takes is a simple blood test which can be performed by your veterinarian during your dog’s annual exam. If your dog is found to be heartworm free, you vet will prescribe a medication which can be given to your dog monthly to prevent the disease.

One of the reasons it’s important to test your dog for heartworm is that this disease is usually unnoticeable in its early stages. As the disease progresses, you may notice some signs such as lethargy, coughing, weight loss, and in the final stages, congestive heart failure. Testing will allow you to catch the disease as early as possible, and the earlier it’s caught, the more treatable it is.  

If your dog isn’t currently getting a monthly heartworm preventative such as Heartgard or Sentinel, call your veterinarian today.