‼March is Heartworm Awareness Month‼
Heartworm, or Dirofilaria immitis, is a parasite that is spread by mosquitoes, so you pet does not even need to be in contact with other pets to become infected!
Heartworm has a complicated life cycle. Infected dogs have microfilaria, an immature form of heartworm, circulating in their bloodstream. Microfilariae are sucked up by mosquitoes when feeding on the blood of infected dogs. The immature parasite develops into a heartworm larva inside the mosquito, then a single bite from a carrier mosquito can infect your pet (dog or cat). As the worms mature in the heart they can cause a physical blockage as well as thickening of the heart and associated blood vessels. In the early stages of infection there may be no visible signs, however, infection may eventually lead to signs of heart failure (reluctance to exercise, lethargy, coughing) and even death. Heartworm is present throughout most of Australia (except Tasmania and arid areas).
Thankfully, heartworm is very easy to prevent with a once a year injection and should form part of your pet health care routine. If your pet has not been on heartworm prevention a heartworm test is required prior to starting a prevention program.
To benefit you and your pets, we are offering a FREE heartworm test for dogs >6 months of age in the month of March 2021 when in conjunction with starting your dog on heartworm injections for the first time giving them complete protection. We are also offering 10% OFF Heartworm injection for puppies <6 months of age. Call the team at 02 6922 5375 to make an appointment.