Posts Tagged: Heartworm Disease

If there is one pet problem that every owner should be aware of, the team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital thinks heartworm disease should definitely be in the top five. This deadly disease is very preventable, which makes education all the more important. Do you know how to prevent heartworm disease? If not, keep reading to find out.

For much of the year in San Antonio, mosquitos are an unfortunate part of life thanks to our humid summers and mild winters. Besides being annoying to both people and pets, mosquitoes can also transmit a variety of diseases, such as West Nile virus and Zika virus. Since there are no vaccines or cures for these illnesses, protecting your pets and family from mosquitoes is critical.

However, while keeping bugs at bay is important, dousing your property with harsh chemicals can be dangerous, especially when you have pets. Fortunately, a little bit of creativity and elbow grease is all you need to accomplish pet safe mosquito control. Continue…

Many pet owners often associate heartworm disease with dogs since they are much more likely to be infected become infected than cats (1 cat for every 10 dogs infected). This is due to the fact that the physiological makeup of felines is more resistant to the invading parasites.

However, both cats and dogs are susceptible to the infection. And, in fact, an estimated 10-14% of tested shelter cats are affected. This alarming statistic has us questioning whether or not it is more prevalence than previously thought.

Because heartworm disease is deadly to cats, routine screening and a monthly heartworm preventive are strongly advised. Continue…