Prevent Heartworm Disease

Thursday, March 01, 2012

Heartworm disease is a preventable life-threatening condition. Heartworm is a parasite that is passed from mosquitoes to your pet. This parasite migrates through the blood stream and settles in the heart, arteries and lungs of infected cats and dogs. Dogs and cats of all ages and breeds are at risk. Monthly year round parasite prevention is a safe and inexpensive way to make sure your pet is protected against heartworm and other harmful parasites. There are a variety of heartworm preventions available and each one has its own unique way of parasite prevention. Many of the products available also prevent other harmful and potentially zoonotic (transmissible to people) parasites, such as intestinal parasites, fleas, ticks or ear mites. Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian where a heartworm test will be performed to ensure your pet is heartworm free; then based on your pet’s lifestyle and needs, a proper heartworm/parasite prevention will be chosen. A year round parasite prevention program is an essential part of your pet’s routine wellness plan and will help keep you and your pet safe from these harmful invaders.  Remindmypet.com is an automated email/text reminder system designed to help pet owners remember to give medications to their pets on time. You can set it up to send you a monthly e-mail or text reminder to give your pet’s heartworm medication. To learn more about heartworm disease or other parasites please call our office or visit The American Heartworm Society website www.heartwormsociety.org or the center of disease control and prevention website www.cdc.gov