Bark N Wag 15 Minute Vet Talk

You are listening to Bark & Wag 15 Minute Vet Talk and I am your host Polly ReQua Today we are talking with Dr. Susan McMillan, owner of Vet to Pet Mobile Veterinary Service in Burlington, Vermont to learn more about heartworm. What is it, how do dogs get it and what can we do to prevent heartworm positive test results. Welcome Susan…. HEARTWORMS Heartworms are common in dogs throughout the United States (cats can have them, too). They are among the most damaging parasites in dogs but they are almost100 percent preventable. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes and, once mature, they live in the heart and large blood vessels of the lungs. Adult heartworms can measure over one foot in length. How will heartworms affect my dog? The heartworm larvae deposited by the feeding mosquito eventually migrate to the chambers of the heart or into the vessels of the lungs. Once Heart opened to reveal heart wormsin the heart, the worms can affect blood flow throughout the body. Heartworm infection can affect many di