Most pet owners have a mental checklist of things to keep their animals safe and healthy, including fresh food and water, perhaps a good long walk and some time spent playing or brushing their fur. Oh, and don’t forget the scratch under the chin to keep Fluffy content! But did you remember to give Spot his heartworm medicine this month’?

Heartworm, medically known as Dirofilaria immitis, are tiny worms that embed themselves in the bloodstream of an animal. This generally occurs through an insect biting an infected animal, becoming host, and then passing the infection along to other host animals.

At the time of the bite, the insect transmits larvae into the host. The larvae take several months to reach adult worm status, but once they do they reproduce by the thousands, therefore making the heartworm difficult to eradicate from the body.

Heartworm is often found in warmer climates and is usually detected through blood tests. It is treated by medication which kills the worms while still inside the animal host. Treatment can be dangerous due to the fact that dead worms are now traveling though the bloodstream and have the capability of blocking blood flow to internal organs, including the heart. Little to no physical exertion is suggested during this time period for that reason.

Now, rather than having to cope with such a traumatic and possibly expensive ordeal with your beloved pooch, wouldn’t it be much easier to give your pet preventative heartworm medicine’? Most antidotes for heartworm come in the form of a pill administered orally that will need to be taken approximately once a month. To guarantee an effective heartworm medicine, you will need a prescription from a trusted veterinarian. Doses are usually dispensed based on the dog’s weight, age and breed, so be sure to get the right one for your pet.