Heartworm Awareness Month: Why Preventive Care is a Must

April is Heartworm Awareness Month. In other words, it’s the perfect time to broadcast the importance of heartworm prevention to pet parents everywhere. 

Heartworms are parasitic worms that can make pets incredibly sick, especially dogs and cats. Left untreated, heartworms lead to life-threatening complications. 

The good news is that with preventive medication, your pet can avoid heartworm throughout her entire life. Today, the team at Borgfeld Animal Hospital will share what pet parents should know about heartworm parasite prevention.

What Are Heartworms?

Heartworms are a type of parasitic worm transmitted by mosquitoes. When an infected mosquito bites a pet, it transfers the larvae into the animal’s bloodstream. 

Over time, these larvae grow into adult worms that lodge in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, causing severe damage to vital organs. Dogs are natural hosts for heartworms. This means the pests can live entire lifecycles and continue to multiply within your pet’s body. 

For cats, heartworms are not as common, but they can still cause major health issues. Unlike dogs, cats are not natural hosts for heartworms. This means the worms typically don’t grow to adulthood or reproduce in large numbers with cats. 

But even immature heartworms can cause respiratory issues, heart problems, and even sudden death.

Since there is no approved treatment for heartworm disease in cats, heartworm prevention is the only way to safeguard your kitty’s health. It’s the best way to keep your dogs safe, too

Signs and Symptoms of Heartworm Disease

The symptoms of heartworms vary depending on how severe an infection is. In the early stages, pets might not show any symptoms. But as the worms mature and reproduce, your pet is likely to show symptoms, including:

• Persistent coughing
• Tiredness after moderate activity
• Difficulty breathing
• Weight loss
• Swollen belly (in severe cases)

If you notice any of these symptoms in your dog or cat, bring your pet to the vet right away. Early intervention is an infected pet’s best chance at a positive outcome.

But the best approach is always heartworm prevention.

Why Heart Worm Prevention is Essential

The best way to protect your pet from the devastation of heartworm disease is through preventing infection in the first place. 

Treatment for heartworms is expensive and painful for your pet, and it comes with its own potential health risks. Prevention, on the other hand, is simple, safe, and budget-friendly. Your veterinarian can prescribe monthly preventives, which work by killing heartworm larvae before they reach their reproductive stage. 

Along with heartworm prevention, comprehensive parasite prevention is essential for overall pet health. Fleas, ticks, and intestinal parasites can also pose a threat to your pawsome pals’ well-being. 

A well-rounded parasite control plan includes:

• Routine veterinary check-ups and heartworm testing
• Year-round heartworm prevention medication
• Regular flea and tick treatments
• Keeping outdoor areas clean and free of standing water

What to Do This Heartworm Awareness Month

As pet parents, we’re responsible for protecting our furry family members from preventable diseases. This Heartworm Awareness Month, we encourage all pet parents to take a look at their heartworm prevention efforts. 

If it’s been a while since you got heartworm medication for your pet—life gets busy, after all!—reach out to our caring team at Borgfeld Animal Hospital. We can test your pet for heartworm, prescribe a preventive, and provide treatment if necessary. 

Remember: prevention is the gold standard, but early detection and treatment is crucial too.

Request an appointment today to get your pet ready for any parasites they might face!