Heartworm Disease Prevention

Protect Your Dog or Cat from Heartworm Disease With Tips From Our Burke Animal Clinic

Heartworm disease is a life-threatening parasitic infection most known for affecting dogs. It can also affect cats, though this is less common. Due to the difficulty of heartworm treatment and the potential for death, both types of pets should be protected from catching heartworms. Here are a few tips some Burke Animal Clinic to help with this goal.

Reduce Pet Exposure to Mosquitoes

Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes, which inject the infective larvae of the worms into the animals that they bite. Therefore, reducing your pets exposure to mosquitoes will reduce the risk of them catching the disease. One way to do this is to eliminate standing water, which is where mosquitoes breed. Also, avoid leaving your pets out at night and other times of high mosquito activity. When they need a walk during these times, leave them outside only long enough to do their business.

Provide Heartworm Prevention Medication

Veterinarians can prescribe a variety of medications to prevent heartworms from getting a foothold in your pets. These medications often provide other benefits as well, such as flea and tick prevention. Many medications provide protection against intestinal parasites as well. Even better, they only have to be given once a month or less.

What Happens if Your Pet Gets Heartworm Disease?

Heartworms collect in the heart, major arteries, and lungs. This causes your pet to become weak and gasp for breath. If the situation gets bad enough, extreme sickness and even death will result.

Heartworm treatment for existing cases involves slowly killing off the worms at a pace that will not cause them to clog your pet’s arteries. It is expensive, slow, and may require veterinary hospitalization. Because of this, it is much better to prevent heartworm infestation from the start.

Get Heartworm Medication for Your Pet, Contact Our Burke Animal Clinic!

To get your pet tested for heartworm disease and obtain a prescription for effective heartworm medication, make an appointment with us here at Burke Animal Clinic in Burke, VA.  Call today at (703) 569-9600. We’ll be glad to help you and your companion animal.

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