IndyHumane Promotes Heartworm Awareness
June 6, 2023 | 
INDIANAPOLIS – April is National Heartworm Awareness Month. Heartworm is a serious and potentially deadly parasite that can affect your dog or cat.
Heartworms are only transmitted to animals via a bite from a mosquito that is also affected with the worms. The parasite settles in blood vessels and chambers of the heart and symptoms include coughing, fatigue, decreased appetite and weight loss in dogs. In cats, heartworms present as coughing, asthma, vomiting, decreased appetite and weight loss. Heartworms cannot be transmitted between animals or from pets to people.
“We want to make sure that people know how easy this disease can be to prevent.” Said Donna Casamento, CEO of IndyHumane, “Regular checkups and monthly preventatives can really save you time, money, and heartache in the future.”
Treatment for heartworms can be costly, time-consuming, and difficult as the animal is not allowed to exercise during treatment. The best way to protect your animals from heartworms is to take them to regular checkups and get them tested for heartworms once a year. Give them monthly heartworm preventatives, even for indoor animals. Mosquitos can make it inside so your pets can still be at risk.
IndyHumane does test every animal that comes through the shelter for heartworms, and provides treatment – offering adopters the chance to “Foster to Adopt” while the animal is still receiving treatment.
IndyHumane’s Michigan Road Vaccine Clinic offers low-cost heartworm tests and preventatives to the public, regardless of whether their pet was adopted through the shelter. View prices and schedule an appointment at https://indyhumane.org/clinics/
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