Heartworm Testing Service Arlington, Ft. Worth, Grand Prairie & Richland Hills, TX

Here are a few key facts about heartworm disease every pet parent should know:

1. The name pretty much describes it. Heartworm is a serious progressive disease caused by parasitic worms growing in the heart, lungs and surrounding blood vessels. The worms can grow to be up to 12 inches long, they live up to 7 years, and some animals have as many as 250 worms in their system.
2. Mosquitos are the culprit. If you live in an area with a lot of mosquitos you need to be extra careful because heartworm is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. When an infected mosquito bites your dog, it leaves infected larvae on the skin that enter the bloodstream through the bite wound. That is the only way the disease is spread. It is not contagious from one dog to another.
3. An infected dog won’t show symptoms initially. As the worms grow, however, their impact on your pet’s heart and lungs will increase, and your dog will likely develop a persistent cough, not want to eat or exercise, be easily exhausted and lose weight. The disease can ultimately be deadly, and it causes lasting damage.
4. Prevention is key. By getting your dog tested annually and administering a heartworm prevention medicine you are taking vital steps to ensure your dog does not contract this serious disease. The cost of treatment can easily be 10 times more expensive than the cost of prevention. Even when treatment is successful, a dog who has been infected risks enduring long-term damage to the heart and lungs.