April is all about Heartworm Prevention Month!

April is all about Heartworm Awareness Month! 

When I think of heartworms, I immediately think of a friend in college and her dad who was a veterinarian. In the kitchen, there was a plastic model of a dog heart and heartworms on it and I never knew about this before!  It was sort of scary to see and I often wondered how dogs get them and what to do about it but then I learned that cats can also get heartworms.  Yikes!   It’s time to understand more and how to prevent this horrible disease. 

While dogs get heartworm much more often than cats, it is good to know that the risk is much lower but it is still a risk.  With warm weather approaching, we will begin to use topical flea treatments and sometimes, let our animals outside to play or wander or hunt.

​Mosquitoes are the culprit that carry heartworm and catch it from an infected dog.  The mosquito goes on to bite a non infected cat and the larvae enter the bloodstream.  It can take months to show symptoms such as weight loss, breathing issues, diarrhea, lethargy to name a few.  Heartworm is a very serious disease and can cause death but prevention is available. Using a flea and tick topical treatment which also has heartworm preventative is vital.  There are several on the market and talking with your veterinarian of what brand they recommend or suggest is key to avoiding this progressive disease altogether. 

Heartworm in your cat has very low odds but needs to be at zero to safeguard your cat.  Understanding the disease along with symptoms can be what your cat needs to avoid this disease and live a long happy life.

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