Winter Heartworm Prevention: Why Cold Weather Doesn’t Guarantee Safety
However, heartworm disease is a year-round risk, even in winter, making consistent preventive treatment essential.
What is Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm disease begins with a mosquito bite that injects microscopic heartworm larvae into a pet’s bloodstream. Over six months, these larvae grow into adult worms, which can clog the blood vessels in the heart and lungs, impacting blood flow and causing organ damage. In cats and dogs, this disease presents differently, but one fact remains clear: prevention is key.
Reducing Heartworm Exposure
While preventive treatments are effective, reducing your pet’s exposure to mosquitoes can add extra protection. Mosquitoes are often found near water sources like ponds, bird baths, and puddles. Bringing your pet indoors during peak mosquito activity, typically around dusk, and using vet-approved topical repellents for dogs can help. Note that these repellents aren't available for cats.
Recognizing Heartworm Symptoms
One of the most challenging aspects of heartworm disease is that pets may not show symptoms until the infection has progressed. Early on, signs are minimal, but as the disease advances, symptoms like persistent coughing, lethargy, breathing difficulties, and even a swollen abdomen can emerge. In cats, heartworm often resembles asthma, making it harder to detect. By the time symptoms appear, lung damage has often already occurred. While treatment exists for dogs, it is risky, and for cats, the disease is managed rather than cured.
Testing for Heartworms
An annual heartworm test is recommended by veterinarians to detect the presence of adult heartworms before symptoms arise. This includes an antigen test for proteins from adult worms and a microscope test to check for immature worms. A third test, used occasionally in cats, checks the immune response for any signs of infection.
How to Prevent Heartworm Disease
Luckily, a monthly preventive medication—whether a pill or topical solution prescribed by your vet—can help protect both dogs and cats from heartworms. Mosquitoes can survive indoors during the winter, and even one bite during warmer months can lead to an infection that lingers into winter. Keeping up with prevention year-round ensures heartworms don’t have the chance to develop.
Taking these simple steps can make all the difference: reduce exposure and keep up with preventive treatment, even when temperatures drop. Protecting your pet from heartworm disease means being proactive all year long.
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