Market North Veterinary Hospital

Heartworm Microfilaria

Heartworm disease might only be a distant concern to owners who've never met an infected animal, however, heartworm disease is a real, and prevalent threat. This video is of heartworm microfilaria in the blood of a dog that came through our clinic. Heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) are transmitted through the bites of infected mosquitos. Dogs are the preferred hosts, but other canines (foxes/wolves/coyotes), cats, ferrets, other mammals, and in rare instances humans can become infected. It only takes one mosquito bite for an animal to get heartworms. When a pet is not on a heartworm preventitive the resulting infestation can cause perminant damage to the heart and lungs. If untreated, heartworms can easily kill a pet. Preventitive medication is important for your pets health, and far less expensive than treatment for heartworm disease and the lasting damage it can cause. For more information on heartworm disease and prevention visit: https://www.heartwormsociety.org/

This is Penelope. She was brought to us by a client of ours who had been feeding her outside. One day when she came back it appeared that she couldn't use her back legs. We took x-rays of them and she had fractures in both. We treated these fractures and now she runs around like nothing happened! We are now looking for a home for this playful and energetic kitten. She loves to "make biscuits" on your shoulders! She was a scared frightened kitten and now all she wants is attention. She was tested for FeLV and FIV both came back negative. She has most of her shots. And we cleared up her stool. She is 4 months of pure kitten. Please let us know if you know anyone that is interested.