How Often Do Dogs Need Heartworm Prevention?

The American Heartworm Society suggests giving your dog heartworm medicine every month. Also, you should have your dog checked for heartworms every year. More than 100,000 dogs in America get heartworms yearly, and the number keeps increasing as the disease becomes more common.

Studies show that only 25 percent of dog owners use heartworm prevention consistently. That leaves over 50 percent of dog owners not using heartworm prevention as they should. Thus, it is no surprise that more and more dogs are getting heartworms.

The Risk

Heartworms are dangerous parasites that can be fatal to your dog if not treated right away.

Heartworms can grow up to one foot long. They live inside your dog's lungs, heart, and surrounding blood vessels. There, they multiply over and over, congesting the organs and blood vessels. The result is irreversible damage to your dog's organs and, if not addressed, death from heart failure.

How Do Dogs Get Heartworms?

Dogs get heartworms from mosquito bites. When a mosquito bites an infected animal, it carries the infection in its body. At this time, the disease is in the form of tiny baby worms called microfilaria.

The mosquito can then spread these baby worms to the next animal that it bites. Once inside your dog, these baby worms enter the blood. Then, they move to the heart, lungs, and nearby blood vessels. The worms take six to seven months to mature into adults. Once they become adults, they start producing offspring.

Adult heartworms can live inside your dog for up to five years. Thus, one heartworm can reproduce several times. As such, the number of heartworms multiplies. A dog could have up to 300 heartworms living inside its body.

Is Your Dog at Risk of Getting Heartworm Disease?

Heartworms may not seem to be a problem in your neighborhood, but that does not mean your dog is safe. Heartworms are spreading to new districts across the country every year. Besides, vets have diagnosed dogs with heartworm disease in all 50 states.

If you live in a community with stray and neglected dogs, or wolves, coyotes, and foxes, you need to watch out for heartworms. These animals may carry heartworms that can quickly spread to your dog.

When Should You Test Your Dog for Heartworms?

Generally, you should test your dog for heartworms every year. You can do this during your routine visits to your vet for preventive treatments.

If your dog is below seven months old, you can start them on heartworm prevention without getting a test. It takes about seven months for a dog to test positive for heartworms after infection. But you should test your puppy every six months after your first visit to ensure they do not have any heartworms.

Owners of dogs above seven months old should take them for tests before beginning heartworm prevention. Thereafter, they will need annual tests. If your dog misses one or more doses of heartworm prevention medicine, take them to the vet for a test right away. You will also need to test again after six months and every year after that.

For more on how often dogs should get heartworm prevention, call Liberty Animal Clinic at (912) 368-4080 to reach our office in Hinesville, Georgia.