Hawthorne Animal Hospital Shares How To Protect Your Dog Or Cat This Summer
EDWARDSVILLE – After being cooped up inside all winter, people and their pets are ready to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather. Unfortunately, lurking outside are mini-predators ready to turn our furry friends into their all-you-can-eat buffets. Mosquitos can be extremely dangerous – and even deadly – to our pet’s health by transmitting heartworms into their bloodstream. In fact, one in 200 dogs is infected with heartworm each year, but many owners don’t realize it until it’s too late.
However, when pet owners educate themselves on potential threats and protect their pets against them, they can play outside all summer while staying safe all year long.
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Why pet owners need to be vigilant
The Metro East’s humid, muggy summers and close proximity to ponds and rivers make the region a beacon for hungry mosquitos, putting pets at a greater risk for heartworm. When a mosquito bites a mammal infected with heartworm, it becomes home to the heartworm’s offspring, which eventually grow into larvae. The moment that mosquito bites another dog or cat, the larvae are transmitted through the wound. Over the next year, they find their way into the pet’s heart where they mature and reproduce, and in turn, enlarge the heart and block blood flow.
In the early stages of infection, a pet may have an occasional cough. However, as the heartworms grow, a pet owner may notice severe symptoms, like breathing trouble, a persistent cough and a lack of energy. By the time the warning signs do finally make their appearance, extreme and expensive measures have to be taken to save the pet’s life. Treatment includes a combination of antibiotics and injections over a minimum three-month period and costs pet owners thousands of dollars.
Prevention is the best medicine
Preventing heartworm is simple, painless and cost-effective. A variety of FDA-approved preventatives, including chewable oral tablets, topical liquid, or injections, are available at most veterinary clinics and range from just $10 to $30 a month. Most heartworm preventatives also pull double duty by protecting your pet against fleas, which cause skin irritation and transmit tapeworms.
The biggest obstacle veterinarians see when it comes to prevention is that many pet owners stop medication over the winter when the threat isn’t obvious or if they keep their dogs or cats indoors year-round. Depending on the species, mosquitos can actually sneak up on pets even during the colder months, and over the summer, can easily slip through open doors or cracks in our attics.
The time to get your pet on preventative is now. Your veterinarian will run a simple blood test to confirm your dog or cat is heartworm-free, and if so, will prescribe a medication that best suits their needs. If your pet is already infected, they will require a series of injections first as older larvae can survive preventative treatment. To learn more about protecting your pet this summer, contact the team at Hawthorne Animal Hospital at 618-288-3971.
About Hawthorne Animal Hospital - Founded in 1956, Hawthorne has evolved into a regional specialty center and 24-hour animal hospital in Glen Carbon serving St. Louis and the entire Metro East region. Today, Hawthorne is staffed by a team of renowned veterinarians with 124 years of combined experience in all areas of medical care and is equipped with cutting-edge technology to improve the health outcomes of the pets it treats. Hawthorne is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAAH), a designation only 12-17% of vet clinics in the U.S. currently hold. For more information, visit www.hawthorneanimals.com.
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