{"id":3303,"date":"2024-04-05T09:45:33","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T13:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.capitalhomevetcare.com\/blog\/?p=3303"},"modified":"2024-04-07T09:54:30","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T13:54:30","slug":"national-heartworm-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.capitalhomevetcare.com\/blog\/national-heartworm-awareness-month\/","title":{"rendered":"National Heartworm Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Heartworm<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

April is National Heartworm Awareness Month\u2014the perfect time to remind all pet families about the importance of year-round heartworm prevention. The American Heartworm Society estimates that more than a millions pets in the United States currently have heartworms. These nasty little worms put pets at risk of severe heart and lung complications, but heartworms are preventable. At Capital Home Veterinary Care<\/a>, we take pet parasites seriously. In this blog we discuss the dangers of heartworm disease and the importance of heartworm prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Where Do Heartworms Come From?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With the arrival of spring comes the emergence of mosquitoes, and mosquitoes are carriers of heartworm larvae. When an infected mosquito bites your dog or cat, the heartworm larvae is transmitted through the bite wound and enters your pet\u2019s bloodstream. Heartworms can grow to a foot in length and live within the hearts, lungs, and blood vessels of infected pets. Left untreated, these spaghetti-shaped worms can eventually cause heart failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms of Heartworm Disease in Pets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Coughing is one of the first signs of heartworm disease in dogs. Sadly, because a cat\u2019s body and blood vessels are small, the first sign of heartworm infestation in cats is often sudden collapse and cardiac arrest. Other symptoms in infected animals include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n