Healthy Pets are Heartworm Free

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During the Valentine period, hearts are on our minds; and at CanadaVet.com we believe that a healthy pet is a heartworm free pet! Heartworm is one of the most common, yet easily preventable diseases that can prove fatal for the animals we love.
Heartworm is Detrimental to your Pet's Health 
When infected with heartworm disease, your pet's blood vessels become clogged, particualrly around their loving heart. This decreases the blood flow to their other major organs which results in  tissue damage. This in turn, can lead to heart failure and death.
How Pets Contract the Disease

Pets do not contract heartworm directly from one another. Instead, when an infected mosquitoe bites your pet, minute heartworms are injected into their body. These worms then make their way to our beloved pet's lungs and heart where they mature into adulthood, reaching up to around 12 inches in length!

Signs of an Infected Heart

In the initial stages of infection, symptoms are not apparent; but once the following symptoms are observed, the disease will be advanced:
  • Swollen abdomen
  • Tiring quickly during exercise
  • Laboured breathing
  • Lethargy
  • Coughing
Heartworm Preventatives

As treatment of the disease is fraught with danger, complex and expensive, heartworm prevention is the key to protecting our pets from this potentially fatal disease. Fortunately, a variety of preventative treatment options are available including:

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