April Is Heartworm Awareness Month

Are your pets protected against this deadly yet easily preventable disease ?

Across the country — from east to west and north to south — balmy winter weather is creating ideal conditions for an early crop of mosquitoes. And for pets, mosquitoes are more than a nuisance; these pesky little blood-sucking beasts are responsible for transmitting deadly heartworm disease.

A nationwide incidence survey conducted by the American Heartworm Society in 2010 confirmed that heartworm incidence and its risk factors are impossible to predict. Multiple variables, from microclimates to the presence of wildlife carriers, cause rates of infection to vary dramatically, even within communities. Because these factors are so variable, we never know when mosquitoes will emerge in the spring or how late into fall they’ll hang around.

Heartworm is a serious disease that threatens the lives of infected dogs and cats. Fortunately, heartworm prevention is relatively inexpensive and easy to administer. And because neither you nor your veterinarian can predict when or where your pet might be exposed, the American Heartworm Society recommends that you Think 12: (1) get your pet tested every 12 months for heartworm and (2) give your pet heartworm preventive 12 months a year.
Think 12 and you won’t need a crystal ball!