At Oaks North Animal Hospital in San Antonio, TX, we've seen how many pets heartworm affects each year, sometimes fatally. We recommend that our clients take steps to prevent their dogs or cats from contracting heartworm. Doing so can save you time, money, and heartbreak.
What Is Heartworm?
Heartworms are parasites that take up residence in an animal’s heart and lungs. Mosquitos carry these pests in their larvae form. The risk of infestation is highest during warm and humid weather. Pets that spend more time outside are also at higher risk for heartworm, which is why dogs are at a higher risk than cats. However, cats can still get heartworm.
While it's especially important to give heartworm prevention treatments during summer, year-round heartworm prevention may be appropriate in some cases. If you live in an area where heartworm is low risk but plan to travel with your pet to a high-risk area, we also recommend heartworm prevention. These medications are especially important for cats because feline treatment options cannot cure heartworm; they can only treat the symptoms.
Preventing Heartworm
Preventative medicine is typically given monthly for dogs and cats, either as a tablet or topical medication, which may include prevention against other parasites. Some pets may be good candidates for injection, which you only need once or twice yearly. You may consider getting preventative tick medication for your pet at the same time if a combination option isn't available.
Aside from heartworm prevention, we can also perform a test to see if your dog or cat already has a heartworm infection. Heartworm detection in cats is more difficult, and your vet must use test results in addition to other symptoms to make a diagnosis. Unfortunately, some cats do not show signs even when they have an active heartworm infestation. This is one reason why we might recommend year-round heartworm prevention to our patients. Dogs that have a heartworm infection can receive an injection to kill the parasites.
Schedule an Appointment with Our Veterinarian in San Antonio, TX
Call Oaks North Animal Hospital today at (210) 697-9585 for more information or to schedule an appointment with our veterinarian.