Is heartworm prevention still necessary?
I don’t like idea of giving her medication if she doesn’t need it. Dear Pet Owner: Yes, Missy should be on heartworm prevention! It’s not worth taking a chance of Missy becoming a victim of this deadly disease. Each year, female mosquitoes transmit heartworm disease from one animal to another through a single bite. No dog or cat or specific breed is immune. Even inside dogs and cats could be at risk. All it takes is one mosquito to get into your house through a screen door or an open window to jeopardize the health of your pet. Transmission occurs when female mosquitoes carry heartworm larvae, called microfilariae, from an infected animal and deposit it through a bite into the bloodstream of an uninfected animal. These larvae grow and migrate to the heart of the animal where they live, causing damage to the heart and the large blood vessels. By this time, heartworms resemble spaghetti. Symptoms in your dog can include coughing, weakness, listlessness, tiring easily, and weight loss. Yo
