Hello, my fierce and fuuurless followers.
As you know, February has been marked permanently as the month for loveeee and in honor of this I wanted to talk about something close to my heart (literally.) Heartworms are a very real and very dangerous disease that can affect both dogs and cats, affecting mostly dogs (and as much as I don’t like them, I feel for them). However, cats can still get heartworms and should also be tested and protected! Heartworm disease develops when the animal is bitten by a mosquito that is carrying heartworm larvae (baby heartworms) that are microscopic. Once bitten, the larvae penetrate the skin and begin migrating to the blood stream. Adult heart worms can grow 10 to 12 inches in length, YUCK! Once mature, they make their home in the right side of the heart and pulmonary (lung) arteries, often causing lung disease and heart failure.
Even though heartworm disease is super easy to prevent *yawn* it can be difficult and costly to treat – so why not just prevent it with an affordable monthly prevention for your pet, duh!?
There were 5,935 cases of reported heartworm disease in just canines in Tennessee in 2018!
There are multiple prevention options for both cats and dogs. They’re affordable and so worth it to keep us safe from this nasty disease. Protect your loooved ones! The month of love is the perfect time to start if you’ve never had your pet on a prevention before. Call your vet to schedule an exam and heartworm test and get your pet on a preventive right away! Remember, heartworm disease is contractible year round.
For more information you can call your local vet, or give us a call and we would happy to answer any questions you have! (865) 435-1374.
For more information you can also visit: www.heartwormsociety.org
That’s all for now!
Pets and love bites, Bella. Xoxo
Tri-County Small Animal Hospital 