Once again heartworm season is upon us.  If you live in an endemic area its time to put your dog on a preventative medication. 

What is heartworm you may ask?  Heartworms are a parasitic worms transmitted from one dog to another by mosquito. The adult heartworm lives in the right ventricle of the heart and pulmonary blood vessels. The young of the heartworm are called microfilaria and are circulated in the blood. When a mosquito bites an infected dog it draws the blood including the microfilaria. The microfilaria mature inside the mosquito’s body and migrates into the salivary gland of the mosquito. When the mosquito bites another dog, the larval stage of microfilaria is transmitted through the bite wound. Once inside the animal it continues to develop and takes 6-7 months to become sexually mature. It is a very serious disease and it is expensive to treat for it, but it is lot cheaper to prevent it.

Heartworm is also known to affect cats and people with very low immune systems in some areas of the lower states.

If you have questions regarding heartworm ask your veterinarian or look at the following sites for more information.

Merial Heartgard

Novartis Sentinel and Interceptor

Pfizer Revolution