heartworms.

Sam Cockman, Flickr Heartworms are a potentially deadly affliction for household pets. As part of a Paw Nation series providing background about the medical problems your pet may suffer, we spoke to Dr. Louise Murray, Vice President of ASPCA's Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital in New York City to get some insights about the condition. What are the signs that my pet has heartworms? It's important to note that both dogs and cats can be infected with heartworms for a very long time without showing any obvious signs. By the time your pet shows symptoms of heartworms, the case is very advanced. When pets get heartworms, they won't have any symptoms for a number of months, but the condition may be ...

Getty Heartworms in dogs are easy to prevent but difficult and costly to cure. Our friends at WebMD Healthy Pets asked Sheldon Rubin, 2007-2010 president of the American Heartworm Society, to separate facts from the myths about heartworm infestations in dogs. Q: How do dogs get heartworms? A: Only by the bite of an infected mosquito. There's no other way dogs get heartworms. And there's no way to tell if a mosquito is infected. That's why prevention is so important. Heartworm disease has been reported in all 50 states. And the bite of just one mosquito infected with the heartworm larvae will give your dog heartworm disease. Heartworm disease has not only spread throughout the United ...

According to a new (scary) report from the Environmental Protection Agency, topical and on-spot flea and tick medications injured 44,000 pets last year. The study looked at EPA-registered pet products, commonly found at drug stores or on supermarket shelves in 2008. Sprays, collars, and shampoos – anything topical or on-spot to treat ticks and fleas - were included. Most of the potential incident reports involved spot-on treatments, like the ones sold in tubes or vials and used on a specific part of your pet's body. Reactions included rashes, seizures, and, in some cases, death. To play it safe, you may want to skip the grocery aisle for your flea and tick products. "Stick with a ...