Heartworm Prevention

May 26, 2021

We RECOMMEND that Heartworm preventative be given all year long.

BENEFITS OF YEAR-ROUND PREVENTION:

• Mosquitoes can survive the winter inside your home. A mosquito that is carrying

• Heartworm disease is as much of a threat to your dog in the winter as in the summer.

• Only one bite can infect your pet.

Eliminates the possibility of infection during the “off-season.” A year-round prevention program virtually eliminates the possibility of contracting heartworm disease because no “off-season” will exist.

• Convenience. It will be more convenient to “stay on schedule” to remind you to give the Heartworm prevention

• Provides protection for dogs that travel to warmer climates during the winter. Although mosquitoes are not prevalent in New England year-round, some areas of the country, such as the Southeast, has a year-round population of mosquitoes. This may pose a threat to any dog not on year-round heartworm preventive if they travel or reside in those areas of the country that have a long mosquito season.

**YEARLY HEARTWORM CHECKS ARE STILL RECOMMENDED EVEN WITH YEAR-ROUND HEARTWORM PREVENTION!!!

Reasons for this include:

• The heartworm preventive medication may be vomited or spit out by your dog without your knowledge, thereby, exposing your pet to heartworm disease.

• Either by accident or oversight, you may forget to give the monthly preventive.

None of the routine heartworm tests are able to detect immature or early heartworm infestation. Your dog may have had an undetectable infection at the time of his/her last heartworm test, and therefore, could have a dangerous infection. Heartworm preventives WILL prevent new infections of heartworms, BUT they CANNOT prevent the progress of pre-existing heartworm infection.