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Prevent Heartworms To Keep Your Dog
Safe And Healthy!
Heartworm is a very difficult parasite for anybody to
diagnose. This is also the case for vets - in most cases, it is
impossible to tell if a dog has heartworms until after a blood test.
Therefore, it is essential to make sure that you do whatever you can
to prevent heartworm.
Dog heartworm preventative measures will be different depending on
where you live. If you live in an area where there are a lot of
mosquitoes, then you should make sure that your dog is taking
preventative medications. In other locations, different preventative
measures may be enough to keep your dog safe from heartworm.
Preventative measures for areas with few mosquitoes:
If you live in a northern area where mosquitoes are only common
during the summer, you should do what you can to reduce contact with
mosquitoes during that period of time. You can do this by keeping
your dog inside, by making sure that the dog sleeps inside, and by
eliminating places for mosquitoes to breed. You can reduce the
number of mosquitoes on your property by eliminating large pools of
standing water, since those are necessary for mosquito breeding.
Preventative measures for areas with many mosquitoes:
If you live in an area where mosquitoes live year-round, you should
still do what you can to reduce the contact your dog has with
mosquitoes. Make sure that your dog has a mosquito-free room to
sleep in at night.
If you live in an area where heartworm is common, you should also
invest in dog heartworm preventative medications. There are several
options on the market now. You can buy either once-a-month or daily
heartworm pills for your dog.
Since heartworm is so difficult to diagnose, you should make sure
that your dog is getting heartworm tests once a year when you go to
the vet. Heartworms generally take 9 months to reach adulthood, so
you do not need to give your dog a heartworm test more than once a
year.
If you are concerned about heartworms in your area, then you should
talk to your vet and find out which preventative options are best
for your dog. Your vet will have suggestions and can write a
prescription for Interceptor, Heartgard or Sentinel if these are the
best treatment options for your dog.
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