Southside Vet Surgery, providing heartworm prevention for pets.

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition affecting dogs and, to a lesser extent, cats across mainland Australia. Adult heartworms grow up to 30cm long and reside in the heart and major blood vessels, while microscopic larvae, known as microfilariae, circulate in an infected dog’s bloodstream. Early stages of infection may show no symptoms, but as the worms mature, they can disrupt blood flow, leading to heart failure or even sudden death. Heartworms spread through mosquito bites — when a mosquito feeds on an infected dog, it picks up microfilariae, which develop within the insect before being transmitted to another dog. Once inside, the larvae migrate through the body, eventually settling in the heart and lungs, where they grow into adult worms.

Our Tips For Heartworm Prevention

Our gold standard recommendation for heartworm prevention is the proheart injection at 3 months, 6 months and 15 months of age as your pet grows, then annually for life. If your puppy isn’t going to get the first proheart injection at 3 months of age then prevention with a monthly tablet must begin at 30 days of age! Please call us to discuss the best heartworm prevention program for your pet. (07) 4033 2900.