What Is Heartworm Disease?
Heartworms are a parasite that infects both cats and dogs. It is spread by infected mosquitoes that bite the pet and transmit the parasites. No one can tell whether a mosquito is infected, so if there is a mosquito near your pet, it could infect them. While the worms are inside a pet, the pet is the host where the parasites live out their entire lifecycle. They mature into adult worms while inside your pet’s organs and cardiovascular system, then they will mate there and multiply. These worms often live in the heart and lungs of pets and can also be found in the veins. This disease can be fatal to dogs, cats, and ferrets.
Is Heartworms Treatable?
It is possible to treat heartworms if the disease is in certain stages. However, heartworm treatment is hard on a pet, and it isn’t always effective. It can cause health complications and may even have fatal effects. It’s also highly expensive. It’s always best to prevent heartworms so that the pet is never infected with them.
How Do You Prevent Heartworms?
There are several great heartworm prevention medications on the market that are available by prescription from the veterinarian. These are often available as chewable that pets don’t mind eating. There are also tablets that can be hidden in food and flavored tablets that the pet may choose to swallow. Many of these medications are also flea and tick prevention. With heartworm flea and tick prevention in one medication, your pet can be well protected.
Visit Us for Heartworm Treatment and Tick Prevention from Our Veterinarian on Our Veterinary Team
If you are in Newmarket, ON, call us at (905) 830-0437 for North Yonge Animal Hospital, our veterinary clinic, to schedule your pet’s health exam.