Heartworms can kill your cat or dog. Fortunately, these pests are easily preventable, with some help from one of our veterinarians. It is a common pet care misconception that you only need to provide heartworm prevention medication during the warmer months, but you need to give it year-round. Our team at Farview Animal Hospital in Independence explains why.

Mosquitoes and Heartworms

Heartworms get to your pet through mosquito bites. A mosquito drinks the blood of a sick animal. Inside that animal’s blood are baby heartworms, called microfilaria. They get sucked up by the mosquito, grow inside of the mosquito’s guts for up to 30 days, then move to the mosquito’s mouthparts. When the mosquito bites your pet, it injects the microfilaria into your pet’s bloodstream.

About Microfilaria

Microfilaria are surprisingly long-lived for such tiny creatures. They live for months inside of your pet’s bloodstream. When they find a nice spot in or around your pet’s heart, they grow into adults. Adult heartworms can severely harm your pet. While they are still microfilaria, they are vulnerable to heartworm prevention medications from your vet.

There is No Heartworm Season

Microfilaria live for months, long after all of the mosquitoes in your area have died due to the cold temperatures. This means that microfilaria live year-round. Administering heartworm prevention medication every month means that you have the best chance of killing all of the microfilaria before they turn into adults.

Adult Heartworms

Microfilaria are much easier to kill than adult heartworms. Adult heartworms can live up to five years inside of your pet. By the time your pet starts to show the first symptom of heartworm disease which is a low cough, the heartworms are already large enough and numerous enough to start harming your pet. Our veterinarians are often able to kill the adult worms, but many pets still die even after the heartworms are killed.

Contact Our Veterinarians for Heartworm Prevention in Independence, MO

If you have a cat or dog that is not yet on heartworm preventative medication and you live in or around Independence, contact Dr. Clark and Dr. Olson at Farview Animal Hospital. We will perform an examination and recommend an appropriate medication to keep your furry friend safe all year round. Call our team today at (816) 257-5454 to schedule an appointment with one of our veterinarians.