In what could be a very huge setback and shock to pet owners, it has been found by an analysis conducted by the Ontario Veterinary College, that there is a huge increase in the cases of heartworm diseases in pets in Canada.

The study was conducted in 2010 and as compared to a previous study that was conducted eight years before in 2002 there has been a 60% increase in the occurrence of the disease in Canada. The marked increase in the cases is especially alarming in the Ontario province. In 2002, there were 268 dogs affected with heartworm disease while as per the latest study, 431 dogs are known to have been affected.

Heartworm disease is a very dangerous pet disease as it leads to many complications including death among the pets. The initial symptoms are cough, breathing problems, inability to exercise and lethargy. The cause and the carrier of the heartworm disease is mosquito.

The disease spreads when the mosquito bites an infected pet and then carries the larvae of the worm within the bite. When it proceeds to bite the next canine, the larvae get transmitted into the healthy pet’s body. It takes around six months for the disease to develop. The worms can grow up to anywhere between 15 to 30 cm in the pet’s heart and have the ability to cause serious damage to the pet’s internal organs if are not detected in time.

The main breeding season for the heartworm disease is between June and October. In these months, the climate is warm allowing the mosquitoes to proliferate and thereby spread heartworm disease among the pets. It also needs to be understood that though cats are usually not to heartworm disease, once infected even they can get adversely affected.

This is why the use of heartworm prevention treatment has become extremely important. As per this study, out of the pets that had contracted heartworm disease, nearly 80% were not on any form of preventive pills. Heartworm preventive measures are approved by the FDA and require to be taken in regular intervals to prevent the pet from contracting the disease.

Prevention is the best cure in case of heartworm disease and by administering preventiive treatment to their pets, pet owners can ensure that the life of the pet is prolonged and the pet gets to enjoy its entire lifecycle rather than succumbing early to unwanted problems.