12/23/2025
🦟 Heartworm Disease: What Dog Owners Should Know ❤️🐶
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially life-threatening illness in dogs. It is caused by parasitic worms that live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels, leading to long-term damage to these vital organs.
How is heartworm transmitted?
Heartworms are spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. When a mosquito bites an infected dog, it picks up microscopic heartworm larvae. That same mosquito can then transmit the larvae to another dog through a bite. Heartworm disease cannot be spread directly from dog to dog.
Once inside the body, the larvae mature into adult worms over several months, often without obvious symptoms early on. As the disease progresses, dogs may develop coughing, fatigue, difficulty breathing, weight loss, or heart failure.
🛡️ The good news? Heartworm disease is preventable. Monthly heartworm prevention and routine testing are the best ways to keep your dog protected year-round.
📅 We are here to help with heartworm testing and prevention plans tailored to your dog. Contact us to learn more or schedule an appointment!