Heartworm Disease, The Silent Killer

Many clients ask me if it is really necessary to put a dog or cat on heartworm preventative.  I answer that heartworm preventative is as important as vaccines in this part of the world.  Heartworm disease is spread when an infected mosquito bites your dog or cat.  It doesn't take fifty mosquitoes, it just takes one.  Once they are infected with the heartworm larva it takes close to 2 years before your dog or cat will start showing clinical signs.  That's the 'silent killer' part.  It looks like your pet is normal and has nothing wrong but inside the pulmonary vessels around the heart, the heart worms are reproducing and wreaking havoc.  They look like a piece of spaghetti with a sucker on the end and they will kill your dog without treatment.  Let me say that again, without treatment for heartworm disease your pet will DIE!  It's really that simple.  If your pet develops heartworm disease and is not treated, it will die.  With treatment, they can survive but the costs is approximately $1000-$1600 and the drug is in short supply right now.  Why would you want either of those options when you can prevent the disease very easily.  Prevention comes in multiple forms.  There are monthly topicals that prevent heartworm disease and they also prevent flea infestations like Advantage Multi and Revolution.  There are monthly chewable tablets like Interceptor and Heartgard.  We are getting ready to bring a product in called ProHeart 6 that is an injectable that lasts for 6 months.  ProHeart 6 takes the hassle of having to remember when to give it every month as well as the hassle of trying to get your pet to take a pill or keep still while you apply a topical.  I'm going to use it on my dogs and think it will be a great option for those that hate giving pills or have trouble remembering when to give them.  With ProHeart 6 we will call you every 6 months to schedule an appointment for the injection.  The dog will receive a fecal test, physical exam, deworming if needed and a Preventic collar for flea and tick prevention every 6 months all complimentary with the use of ProHeart 6.  Regardless of product you choose, I can't stress the importance of heartworm prevention enough, it is a matter of life or death.