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April is Heartworm Awareness Month. Many people don’t do any type of heartworm prevention, and it is so important for your pet’s overall health.

How Heartworms Affect Cats and Dogs Differently

According to the National Heartworm Society, dogs are natural hosts for heartworms. This means that in dogs, heartworms can mature into adults, mate, and reproduce. If left untreated, this can be fatal for your dog. A dog can harbor several hundred worms in its body and if they don’t die, can have severe, long term damage to their organs. Prevention of heartworms is the key to keeping your dog healthy and heartworm free.

Cats are an atypical host for heartworms. Because of this, most worms do not have a chance to mature into adulthood, and if cats do have adult worms, there are typically only one to three worms. Often times, cats’ heartworms go undiagnosed.

Spreading From One Pet to Another

It’s important to treat all of your pets for heartworms, as they easily spread from one to another. Heartworms are spread through mosquitos. Adult female worms produce small worms that are present in the blood stream. When a mosquito bites an infected pet, they carry these small worms to their next host.

Symptoms of Heartworms

Symptoms of heartworms are different in dogs than cats.

Many dogs don’t show any symptoms in the early stages. As the heartworms mature, symptoms become more severe and include the following:

• Persistent cough
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Heart failure
• And many other severe symptoms

Symptoms in cats include the following:

• Coughing
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Fainting and seizures

Being in the south, our pets are much more at risk for heartworms than other parts of the nation, although anyone can be affected by them.

How Do They Test For Heartworms?

If you want to have your pet tested but don’t know where to start, contact your veterinarian and make an appointment for a test. If you don’t have a veterinarian, we have several local vets that we can recommend to you. Once there, they will take a small blood sample. If the test is positive for heartworms, there may be other tests ordered.

Dogs and cats should be tested for heart worms annually since many times there are no symptoms until the disease is progressed. Once a diagnosis is made, there are many lifestyles changes for your pet in order to prolong their lives and hopefully cure them of the disease.

How Can I Prevent Heartworms?

The first step to preventing heartworms is to test your pet. If the test comes back negative, preventative measures can be taken. Your primary veterinary clinic can prescribe what best fits your lifestyle and your budget. Some heartworm preventative options may be combined with other medicines such as flea and tick medicines, whereas some  are intended for heartworm prevention only.