Heartworm prevention is a must for pets. For only a few dollars a month, you will protect your beloved pets from heartworms, as well as several other internal parasites. Recently, veterinarians have learned that cats can also contract heartworms. Unfortunately, there is currently no method for treating heartworm disease in cats. Although a treatment for heartworm disease is available for dogs, it is expensive and stressful for you and your pet. Therefore, it is important that you protect both your feline and canine pets from this serious health hazard. To understand how heartworm prevention works, you need to know how pets get heartworms.

Heartworm Life Cycle:

1. A mosquito takes in some blood that carries heartworm larvae when feeding on an infected animal.

2. The larvae grow inside the mosquito over a two to three week period.

3. The mosquito spreads these larvae to the skin of an uninfected animal while biting it.

4. The larvae move into the bloodstream and develop into adults.

5. The heartworms move into the heart and lungs within six months and cause heartworm disease.

6. The cycle is set up to restart when adult female heartworms reproduce, and their larvae begin circulating in the infected animal's bloodstream.

NOTE: Heartworm prevention breaks the life cycle by killing larvae deposited when an infected mosquito bites your pet.

Types of Heartworm Prevention: There are several brands of monthly heartworm prevention. The medicine is available in pill form or chewable tablets. Speak to your veterinarian to determine which type of preventative is best for your pet.

Missed dose? If your animal misses a dose of heartworm prevention, it is important to give the pet a dose as soon as possible. If your pet has been off of heartworm prevention for several months, consult your veterinarian. You may need to schedule a heartworm test.

Year round? It is safe to stop giving heartworm prevention to your pet in areas where mosquitoes are dormant during the coldest winter months. However, in our area, the winters are too mild for pets to be taken off heartworm prevention. Therefore, to ensure your pet's safety, heartworm prevention must be given all year.