This is a great question, and a very frequently asked
question! Heartworm disease is a disease that is easily
preventable but painful and expensive to treat.
Heartworm disease comes from a simple mosquito bite. If
you think about it, mosquitos don’t have boundaries that
prevent them from entering the home, as the definitely
won’t set off your house alarm. In addition to mosquitos
being able to easily enter the home, unlike up north, in
Florida we do not have a “mosquito season” and these
pesky insects are around year long. Any time your pet
goes outside, even if just for 1-2 minutes to potty,
there is a chance they could be bitten by a mosquito.
All it takes is one infected mosquito to infect your fur
baby with this painful and deadly disease. For more
information on heartworm disease visit the American
Heartworm Society at:
https://www.heartwormsociety.org/
When it comes to fleas, think of it this way: do you
treat your home for termites even though you don’t see
them and/or your home is not currently being damaged by
them? Prevention is best! Why wait for your fur baby to
be infested with fleas before treating? Flea allergy
dermatitis (a skin contact allergy) is also very common
of pets. A common myth is that in order for your pet to
have a flea allergy, you would see the fleas on your
pet. This is often not the case with a flea allergy. The
most common allergy from the flea is its salvia, meaning
once a flea bites, your pet can break out and have a
terrible skin reaction, even if the flea is no longer on
your pet. This will cause your pet to itch like crazy
and can develop into a skin infection including hair
loss, hot spots, and a very uncomfortable pet. Again,
prevention is the best way
to keep your pets healthy and their veterinary costs to
a minimum.