WHAT IS HEARTWORm

​Hello fellow animal lovers, welcome to our blog! My name is Martha and twice a month I will be bringing you information on different preventative care, diagnostics, illnesses and diseases. If you want to know a little more about me, make sure to check out the staff bios located on this site.
 
This month, I'll be focusing on heartworm - yes, it's that time of the year again! Though heartworm is a common topic, some people may not know what it is. It's a fatal condition caused by parasitic worms that invade a dog's heart and surrounding blood vessels. It's transferred by mosquitoes from infected dogs to uninfected dogs. Cats can also contract heartworm, but it mainly affects their lungs and heart. Mosquitoes are found outdoors, but they also make way into your home, so every dog and cat is at a potential risk for contracting heartworm. In general, heartworm season in our area is from June to November.
 
Heartworms can grow up to 1 foot in length, yuck! They are difficult, costly and potentially dangerous to eliminate, but prevention is easy and there are many types of prevention to choose from to best suit you and your pet. Unfortunately, there is no treatment available for cats. Like I always say, better safe than sorry! More on prevention in the next couple of weeks, so keep your eyes out for the next edition!
 
A lot of our canine patients have received reminders about heartworm testing in April and May. All we need is a tiny sample of blood and we use a same day test to examine for adult or young heartworm. The test used at SAH also tests for lyme and 2 other types of tick-borne diseases. This is important as lyme is a growing problem in our area, and our area is known as a tick hot spot. Make sure to call us and book your heartworm test today!
 
Thanks for reading the first edition! I'm looking forward to sharing more knowledge with you all. If you have additional questions, please contact us, we are always here for you and your pet! Or if you have any suggestions for future blogs, please let us know.