{"id":122,"date":"2025-04-02T15:50:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T20:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.borgfeldah.com\/blog\/?p=122"},"modified":"2025-04-03T15:52:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T20:52:02","slug":"heartworm-awareness-month-why-preventive-care-is-a-must","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.borgfeldah.com\/blog\/heartworm-awareness-month-why-preventive-care-is-a-must\/","title":{"rendered":"Heartworm Awareness Month: Why Preventive Care is a Must"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Heartworm<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

April is Heartworm Awareness Month. In other words, it\u2019s the perfect time to broadcast the importance of heartworm prevention to pet parents everywhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heartworms are parasitic worms that can make pets incredibly sick, especially dogs and cats. Left untreated, heartworms lead to life-threatening complications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that with preventive medication, your pet can avoid heartworm throughout her entire life. Today, the team at Borgfeld Animal Hospital<\/a> will share what pet parents should know about heartworm parasite prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Are Heartworms?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Heartworms are a type of parasitic worm transmitted by mosquitoes. When an infected mosquito bites a pet, it transfers the larvae into the animal\u2019s bloodstream. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, these larvae grow into adult worms that lodge in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, causing severe damage to vital organs. Dogs are natural hosts for heartworms. This means the pests can live entire lifecycles and continue to multiply within your pet’s body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For cats, heartworms are not as common, but they can still cause major health issues. Unlike dogs, cats are not natural hosts for heartworms. This means the worms typically don’t grow to adulthood or reproduce in large numbers with cats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But even immature heartworms can cause respiratory issues, heart problems, and even sudden death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since there is no approved treatment for heartworm disease in cats, heartworm prevention<\/a> is the only way to safeguard your kitty’s health. It\u2019s the best way to keep your dogs safe, too<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs and Symptoms of Heartworm Disease<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The symptoms of heartworms vary depending on how severe an infection is. In the early stages, pets might not show any symptoms. But as the worms mature and reproduce, your pet is likely to show symptoms, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n