Is your dog protected from heartworm?

Summer means parasites - fleas, ticks, worms - and mosquitos, who can easily transmit parasitic infections as they buzz their irritating way around people and animals.

Yesterday, a post on Amazon.com's Wag Reflex blog talked about heartworm in particular, and if you haven't seen any models or illustrations in your vet's office, it's hard to get your head around just how scary this particular parasite is. Here's a picture of a dog's heart that is overrun with heartworm.
It's not hard to see how having heartworm can decrease the heart’s ability to function properly!

How do you know if your dog has this condition? Some dogs show signs of exercise intolerance (tire easily), start coughing, have difficulty breathing and have overall decreased energy and appetite. If left unchecked, heartworm infestation can lead to congestive heart failure and death. Not all infected dogs show symptoms immediately, however, and in those cases the condition may be too advanced to do anything about by the time it shows up - in the meantime, that dog has probably infected dozens of others.

Fortunately heartworm is easy to detect with a blood test, and it can be treated. It's even easier to prevent heartworm though - so talk to your veterinarian about easy to administer topical or oral preventatives and save yourself and your dog a lot of heartache!