What member of your family spends the greatest amount of time outside? The answer just may be your dog. When you head outside to do yardwork, barbeque, or enjoy some fun family time, your faithful friend probably heads outdoors with you. And your dog probably spends time outdoors alone as well, investigating new smells or relaxing in the sun.
It’s great for your dog to be able to get exercise and fresh air outside, but there’s a very serious threat looming, and that is the threat of mosquitoes. For humans, mosquitoes can pose great harm, but more often than not you will associate them with the discomfort of itching as a result of their bites.
But for man’s best friend, not only is there the threat of West Nile Virus that humans must worry about, but there is also the threat of contracting heartworm from mosquitoes, which can be a fatal disease.
When a mosquito bites a dog who is infected with heartworm, it carries that infected blood and transmits it to other dogs when biting them. The most prevalent region for heartworm in the U.S. is the southeast, so the risk of your pet contracting heartworm from a mosquito bite here is unfortunately especially high.
So what can you do to help protect your loving companion? First of all, invest in a preventative heartworm medicine. These are available in a chewable form that your give your dog once a month, and they are highly recommended by veterinarians. Second, make sure you call Mosquito Squad of Columbia SC to schedule a mosquito spray session. We have a variety of products that can be used to eliminate mosquitoes and prevent future breeding. This way, you can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing your dog is safe, and your dog can enjoy his or her time outside without the pain of being stung.
I never think about the risk that mosquitoes pose on my dogs. Thank you for writing this article.