Heartworm Basics
Our clinic offers a 10% discount on vaccines for dogs if you have a heartworm test and fecal float done in house.
What is heartworm disease?
Heartworm disease is caused by foot-long worms (heartworms) that live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels of affected pets, causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs in the body.
How can I keep my pet from getting heartworms?
Preventatives are a key in keeping your pet from contracting heartworm disease. Our clinic recommends starting your puppy at 6 weeks of age on heartworm prevention with products such as Interceptor Plus or Heartgard Plus. At 7 months of age we recommend testing your dog for heartworm disease. This is a test done in house that requires a few drops of blood and takes about 10 minutes to get results. As long as the results read no antigen detected, you may purchase up to a 12 months of heartworm prevention. Heartworm prevention works backwards. Meaning that medications such as Interceptor Plus and Heartgard Plus deworm against intestinal parasites and heartworm larvae your dog may have been exposed to in the previous month.
