![WORM WORRIES: Heartworm poses a significant threat to cats and dogs, but there are a range of effective preventative products which will keep them safe. WORM WORRIES: Heartworm poses a significant threat to cats and dogs, but there are a range of effective preventative products which will keep them safe.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/32UQzXcwHuv6EtT6StXJwQK/3af32cf2-0b82-4912-ba36-3909f5b075a9.jpg/r0_0_6016_3382_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
While the warm weather brings barbeques and the opportunity to bask in the great outdoors, it also unfortunately, brings mosquitoes.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
These biting insects are not only a nuisance to us but can be extremely dangerous to our pets.
They spread heartworm, a parasite that can cause heart failure and lung disease.
With the wide variety of preventative products available today, heartworm disease is not as common as it once was but it does still pose a significant risk to your pets' health.
The humble mosquito is an integral part of the heartworm lifecycle.
They survive on blood and when they bite an infected dog and consume their blood, they also take up immature worms.
These worms then develop further in the mosquitoes' body before being transferred to another dog as they feed. Without mosquitoes, there is no spread of heartworm between dogs.
The immature worms develop into adults and make their home in dogs' hearts and in the arteries leading to their lungs.
It can take several years for dogs to show symptoms of heartworm disease so you may miss when your pet first becomes infected.
Often the first sign is a soft cough, but if this disease is not diagnosed or treated, dogs develop lethargy, rapid breathing and fluid accumulation in their abdomen.
Heartworm disease can also affect cats and if you share your life with a ferret, they too are at risk.
Heartworm infection is detected with a simple blood test, however it is not so straight forward in cats.
There are a number of conditions which cause similar symptoms in cats and so blood tests are less accurate in felines.
Heartworm can be fatal and treatment can also be extremely complicated.
Fortunately there are a number of products that will prevent a pet from developing the disease.
These products do not stop infection with worms but they kill the immature parasites before they become adults and cause severe damage.
Some products just control heartworm, while others also kill multiple parasites including fleas, ticks and intestinal worms. Tablet, spot on and injections are available.
The added benefit of the injection is that it lasts a whole year and avoids the need to tablet, so there's no need for your pet to fall victim to a preventable disease.