Protect Your Pet From Heartworm Disease
Warm weather is here and with it comes the threat of heartworm disease. If you have not done so already, talk to your vet about getting your dog on a heartworm preventative medicine, such as Heartguard Plus or Interceptor. Heartguard Plus contains Ivermectin, which can be dangerous to several breeds such as collies, shelties, English sheepdogs and Aussies who could have the MDR1 Genetic Mutation. Interceptor is medicine of choice for these breeds.
Heartworm disease is carried by mosquitoes and is easily spread. Once a dog gets heartworm disease, the treatment can be costly for you – and worse, can be painful and even deadly for your dog. Heartworm prevention is easy as pie. Give the medicine – which comes in chewable tablets that dogs love – once a month on the same date. Heartguard and Interceptor even enclose stickers for you to put on your calendar as a reminder.
Cats that go outside can be prone to heartworm disease too, so don’t forget to ask your vet about your feline friends.
Many vets now suggest that pets stay on heartworm prevention year-round. It is a small price to pay to protect your pet from a big problem.
Read more about heartworm disease on these sites:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/hartworm.html#Prev
http://www.heartwormsociety.org/
by Jen Munch, Rescue Rewards Coordinator, Hale Pet Door