Dog owners should also be aware that with more mosquitoes comes an increased risk of heartworm for their beloved pets.
Heartworm larvae are transmitted by mosquitoes biting an infected dog, and then biting another dog.
Once the larvae are inside the dog, they grow bigger and live in the heart, causing blockages and signs similar to congestive heart failure if not treated correctly.
Dr Mark Wheatley of Echuca-Moama Veterinary Clinic has said prevention was far better than a cure.
“The treatment for heartworm has some risk and can be expensive,” he said.
“It’s not like a worming tablet: when the worm is killed off, there are bits of the worm circulating in the bloodstream.”
While the incidence of heartworm in Echuca-Moama has been low, prevention safeguards pets from contracting the parasite, and provides herd immunity to the community.
“Prevention is very effective,” Dr Wheatley said.
“The easiest is the injection, which lasts for 12 months.
“There are also monthly treatments, either spot-on treatments or tablets, but the problem with medication is that people can forget to administer them on time.”
The annual injection, ProHeart, is similar to a worming tablet, in that its dose is determined by the dog’s weight.
Puppies are able to be treated with ProHeart from 12 weeks of age, but will require a booster shot at six months as the dog grows.
As a rule, any dog under the age of six months will be given the injection, and any dog older than six months will be tested to see if they have heartworm before the prevention is given.
Once owners start the injections, they should keep them up-to-date to prevent infection.
This can be done as a part of your pet’s yearly vaccination check-up.
Zoetis Australia is also offering a free ProHeart injection for dogs up to 12 months of age that are currently not on any heartworm prevention.
Dogs over six months of age will require a heartworm test.
This offer is available until the end of January, and conditions apply.
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