Heartworm Awareness Month
April is Heartworm Awareness Month, and we’re glad to get the chance to highlight the importance of preventing this deadly disease. The Pacific Northwest continues to be one of the fastest growing areas for positive cases—in fact, both Spokane and Seattle made the list of the top 10 cities with an increase in positive tests this January, and Vancouver, WA was on the list last year. Heartworms are spread through the bites of infected mosquitos, which leave larvae inside your pet. The worms mature and live in the heart, lungs and blood vessels of infected animals. This is very serious for pets, as it can result in heart failure, lung disease and even death.
This is one of the reasons we highly recommend testing and preventative for all dogs. In addition, the cost and ease of the preventative treatment are much preferred to reactive procedures. The two medications we recommend and prescribe are Trifexis and Interceptor Plus. Year-round prevention is the best way to avoid those nasty heartworms, so please be aware of what you can do to protect your pets against this potentially deadly disease. We recommend monitoring your pet and having them screened for internal parasites regularly, which can be done be scheduling an appointment online or by calling 503-446-2450.