There are so many parasites out there than can affect your dog and your cat. When you visit the vet they rattle off all these names and it is truly confusing. I wanted to refresh your memory about one parasite in particular – heartworms. Yup – they live in the heart. Technically, the adult worms live in the heart and the “babies” swim around in the blood stream.
The heartworm is given to your dog or cat through an infective mosquito. The heartworm has to be transmitted through the mosquito, but the bad news is that lots of mosquitoes carry heartworms. Yes, people can get them, too, but it only happens in immunocompromised individuals. Humans are not the natural host for these worms.
We test your dog for heartworms by taking a sample of blood. This test looks for adult worms that have established themselves in your dog’s heart. These are the trouble-makers. We also recommend you give your pet monthly heartworm preventative. This monthly pill kills any new baby worms the mosquito may have given your dog or cat before they can grow up into dangerous adults.
Protect your pet from heartworms – they are highly prevalent in our region.
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