Keeping Your Pets Safe from Heartworm

As a pet owner, you care very much about the well being of your pet.

That entails obvious things, like making sure they always have enough water, or ensuring that they get out to relieve themselves in the morning. However, you may not always think about the diseases they can acquire just by going outside.

One disease pet owners should be more aware of is heartworm disease. Heartworms are transmitted through infected mosquitoes. These infected mosquitoes deposit larvae on the animal’s skin. The larvae enter the enter the body of your pet through the puncture wound made by the mosquito.

Once inside, the worms begin to travel through the tissue of the infected animal. About 50-70 days later, they molt into immature adults. At this point, the worms can now enter the animal’s bloodstream. The animal’s blood flow then transports them toward the heart and lungs of the animal. As the heartworms continue to grow, they make their way into vessels surrounding the heart. If left unchecked, this could cause heart failure, leading to death.

Seven to nine months post infection, the female heartworms become sexually active and produce offspring that could be ingested by a mosquito that feeds on your pet. This mosquito could then move on to infect another animal with heartworm disease.

So how do you prevent your pets from becoming infected with heartworm disease? My vet mentioned that I should get my dog’s blood tested on a regular schedule. He also said there are preventative medicines that our pets should be given year round. In addition to the both of these, a great way to make sure our pets will not acquire heartworms are to reduce their exposure to mosquitoes!

Mosquito Squad’s barrier program is safe for all members of your family—including pets! It is guaranteed to reduce the mosquito population in your yard by 85-90%.