Nobody wants to see their beloved animal companion suffer from heartworm disease. If you’re a pet parent, our Deltona veterinarian team wants you to know how to recognize and prevent heartworm in cats and dogs.
What is Heartworm?
Heartworms are parasitic worms found within blood vessels of infected cats, dogs, ferrets, and other animals. These parasites can get inside an animal through mosquito bites and can grow without symptoms for weeks or months. Once heartworms become large enough to block blood flow to organs like the heart and lungs, an infected animal may exhibit a persistent cough, swollen belly, fatigue, and breathing problems.
Untreated heartworm disease can cause organ failure and death in cats and dogs. Even after appropriate treatment (such as medications or surgical removal of the worms), many animals experience chronic health problems due to lasting damage caused by the parasitic worms. For this reason, preventing heartworm is far more ideal (and affordable) than treating it.
Preventing Heartworm: 3 Tips From Our Deltona Vet Staff
The easiest and most effective way to prevent heartworm is by diligently giving your pet heartworm preventive medication, usually as a once-a-month pill or topical ointment. Common heartworm prevention medications include Heartgard, Sentinel, and Simparica Trio. Our Deltona vet staff can answer your questions about the right heartworm prevention medication for your animal, based on its breed, weight, and overall health.
Animals already infected with adult heartworms should not be given heartworm preventive medication. That’s why taking your pet in for routine veterinary appointments is the second important step in keeping your pets safe from this potentially serious disease. Our vet staff can screen for heartworms using blood tests or other examination techniques.
A third thing you can do to minimize your pet’s risk of heartworm disease is keeping your home and yard tidy. Areas with stagnant water (such as bird baths, empty flower pots, rain gutters, etc.) can attract mosquitos, which may carry these parasites.
Is Your Pet Protected Against Heartworm?
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal health condition in dogs and cats, but it is preventable. To make sure your pet is protected, contact the Pine Ridge Pet Clinic today at 407-323-9743 to schedule an appointment with a veterinarian in Deltona FL.
