04/10/2025
It's April! Which means it's Heartworm Awareness Month!
🪱 What is Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm disease is a serious illness caused by Dirofilaria immitis—a parasite commonly known as heartworm.
These worms live in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels of affected animals.
🦟 How Do Pets Get It?
Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes.
When a mosquito carrying heartworm larvae bites an animal (like your dog or cat), the larvae can be transferred.
Inside the new host, the larvae mature into adult worms, eventually making their way into your pet's heart and lungs.
⚠️ Symptoms
Pets infected with heartworm may show few or no symptoms at all.
Symptoms include but are not limited to coughing, exercise intolerance, weight loss, and difficulty breathing.
✅ Prevention is Easy—Treatment is Not!
Get your dogs tested once a year for heartworm, starting at the age of 7 months old.
Keep your dogs on monthly heartworm preventatives.