Dog & Cat Heartworm Disease 2010

With our Wisconsin spring underway, mosquitoes are here! They’re a nuisance to you, but to your pets they are a deadly enemy. In a single bite, mosquitoes can transmit a microscopic heartworm to your dog or cat that within 6 months can have serious medical consequences.  Heartworms are blood parasites that make their home in your pet’s heart and pulmonary arteries (in the lungs). Infection occurs when a mosquito picks up a microscopic heartworm by biting an infected animal and then biting your pet, depositing the worm in the process. The heartworm larvae then work its way to the heart & large vessels. They can grow to be up to 14 inches in length, and resemble strands of angel hair pasta. As the worms reach maturity and reproduce in your pet’s arteries, they can cause serious illness including heart failure, difficulty breathing, and even death.  Treating a heartworm infection can be risky and costly, and like any disease, taking preventive steps is a far better alternative. YEAR ROUND PREVENTATIVE MEDICATIONS AND YEARLY BLOOD TESTING ARE YOUR PETS BEST DEFENSE.