1. ID Tag …. 2. Transition …. 3. Housetraining …. 4. Feeding
5. Fleas & Ticks …. 6. Heartworms …. 7. Poison Control …. 8. First Aid Kit
9. Marker Training …. 10. Aggression …. 11. Resources & Recommended Reading
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Heartworm disease is a severe pet health issue that has been diagnosed in every state in the USA. All dogs regardless of age, sex, habitat, or lifestyle are susceptible to heartworm infection. Dogs living in the southeastern states along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico seaboards are particularly at risk. (Studies show that untreated dogs in these areas have a 45% chance of developing heartworm disease!) Dogs living in other states have a lower risk of contracting heartworms, but there is no state where the disease is not present to at least some degree.
Heartworms are a parasitic worm transmitted from one dog to another by mosquitoes. The transmission process and timing are such that your dog can become infected even when you are not aware of mosquitoes in your environment. Keeping a dog indoors most of the time does not protect the dog against heartworms. Keeping a dog on flea preventative does not protect the dog against heartworms. Only a heartworm prevention product prescribed by a veterinarian can effectively protect your dog.
If a dog that is not kept on heartworm preventative contracts the disease, you won’t be aware of it because it takes many months for physical symptoms to appear. A heartworm test at the dog’s normal annual vet visit can detect the disease early enough to enable life-saving treatment to be started. Once the disease has progressed far enough for the dog to start showing symptoms, however, it could be too late to save the dog’s life.
Heartworm treatment is highly effective in dogs whose heartworm disease is caught early. But there is no oral or topical medicine you can give a dog to get rid of a heartworm infection. The only treatment is a series of shots into the dog’s back, which are expensive and very painful, and the recuperation is long and inconvenient for both dog and owner. Also, complications can occur during treatment, including a 1-3% death rate.
Keep your dog on Heartworm Prevention year round! From a financial point of view, this is certainly smart since an annual heartworm test ($18-25) plus a year’s worth of preventative ($25-40) is significantly cheaper than a course of heartworm treatment (which at a typical vet will cost $500 or more). In addition, keeping your dog heartworm-free will lessen the likelihood of other dogs in your home or neighborhood contracting the disease from a “shared mosquito.” Please use your calendar to remember to give your new dog heartworm preventative on the same day of each and every month.
CLICK HERE to read more about heartworm infection, protection, and treatment.
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1. ID Tag …. 2. Transition …. 3. Housetraining …. 4. Feeding
5. Fleas & Ticks …. 6. Heartworms …. 7. Poison Control …. 8. First Aid Kit
9. Marker Training …. 10. Aggression …. 11. Resources & Recommended Reading