16/01/2025
Is your pet up to date with Heartworm prevention? ❤️🦟
Heartworm disease can often be fatal, but is completely preventable. Despite being a type of worm, heartworm is not prevented with a general intestinal wormer.
Heartworm is spread by mosquitos. Once bitten by a mosquito, the worms migrate through the body until they reach the vascular system, infecting the lungs and pulmonary arteries which in turn obstruct blood flow through the heart. They can damage the lining of these blood vessels and can even cause small clots to form in the vessels in the lungs. The inflammation in the lung tissue worsens over time, and you may notice the following symptoms:
🔸Coughing
🔸Shortness of breath
🔸Unwilling to exercise
🔸Unexplained weight loss
🔸Distended abdomen
Treatment for heartworm can be costly and is not without risk. If left untreated, it is often fatal, so prevention is the best course of action.
Preventatives can come in the form of a monthly tablet, chew, spot on or annual injection (dogs).
If you would like to know if your pet is covered or would like to chat about your options, give us a call on (07) 3282 7888