MONSTERS IN MAX

By Angel M. Harris, CVA, VDT

“Monsters are real.  They live inside us and sometimes they win.” -Stephen King

This time of year is perfect for ghost stories and monster movies.  Being spooked can be fun because we know that vampires and werewolves don’t exist.  We safely snuggle beneath a blanket while watching monsters terrorize Tokyo or stalk unsuspecting movie stars.

The truth is that monsters are certainly real, and just as Stephen King said, they do live inside us.  One in particular prefers to dwell within the hearts and lungs of our canine friends.

Adult heartworms can grow to be ten to twelve inches long, with up to two hundred fifty worms residing in a dog’s heart, causing symptoms like low energy, coughing, difficulty breathing, fainting, enlarged abdomen and in severe cases, death.  Although heartworms prefer to live in dogs, they can and do infect cats.  North Carolina State University found that twenty-five percent of infected cats live strictly indoors.  Disease detection in cats can be difficult, and cats usually appear normal until very serious symptoms or sudden death occurs.    While there is a safe treatment for dogs, it can be expensive and typically takes 10 weeks to complete.

Your pets don’t have to suffer a living nightmare.  While garlic and crosses won’t work on these little monsters, our veterinarians can discuss how heartworm disease can be easily avoided by using a safe, effective and economical heartworm preventative once a month, all year long.