Is Heartworm Disease a serious problem?

Unfortunately, Yes. Heartworm disease is frustration as it will not cause an infected dog to show signs of illness until the parasite infection has cause the heart to begin to fail. Our local “hot spots” of infections include Welland and Dunnville. Recently, heartworm disease in this area has become even more sinister. The recent influx of rescued dogs from New Orleans (hurricane Katrina caused thousands of homeless animals) has resulted in brand new strains of heartworm disease being introduced into Southwestern Ontario. These new strains are proving very challenging to treat, and are expected to obtain a good foot-hold in the local canine population. Regular heartworm blood checks and monthly heartworm prevention still remains the very best protection against this deadly disease.