Here’s An Important Message For Pet Owners

If you are the owner of a pet you might want to keep on reading this story.  Your pet will thank you for doing so. April is Heartworm Awareness Month for pets and there is concern that heartworm problems are going in pets this year.

The Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Medical Center of Mid-America is seeing a spike in heartworm-positive cases, potentially as a side effect of the pandemic as people may have put off vet appointments or refilling heartworm prescriptions.

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Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in pets caused by worms that live in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. It affects more than a million pets in the U.S.  The Animal Medical Center of Mid-America is stressing the importance of regular heartworm preventative care to keep your pet safe this year and beyond.

Heartworm disease symptoms are often unnoticeable until six months after a pet is infected and the worms multiply. Symptoms start off with a cough and transition into the more extreme including exercise intolerance, shortness of breath, nosebleeds and, eventually, collapse due to complete blockage of blood flow to the heart.

The Animal Medical Center of Mid-America strongly suggests that you contact your local veterinarian and have your pet checked out for heartworm.  For more information,  go to amcma.org.