In the early stages of heartworm disease most dogs seem healthy. However, as the worms have babies and travel and lodge inside the blood vessels of a dog, these worms make dogs very sick.

Yes, mosquitos come inside.

As the disease worsens, dogs may lose weight, cough, get short of breath, and be fatigued.

Dogs need to be on heartworm prevention every month. Heartworm medications are dosed differently depending on the brand. Prevention can be oral, topical or injectible and given monthly, or every 6 months, or once a year.

If your dog's heartworm test is negative, you must keep him on prevention every month, missing a month puts him at risk of infection.

If your dog tests heartworm-positive, heartworm prevention alone will not get him well. A heartworm-positive dog needs heartworm treatment.

If your puppy is 8 weeks old, he's ready to begin heartworm prevention.

The only way your dog can become infected is through the bite of an infected mosquito.

No, dewormers destroy intestinal worms and have no effect on heartworms

It causes suffering and can often be fatal.

Humans cannot get heartworm disease.

Yes, your dogs and cats, can but not from eachother; an infected mosquito must bite your heartworm positive dog and then bite other pets, to infect them.

FDA approved heartworm medications are prescription only.

Yes, because there are pockets of mosquitos breeding even in cold climates and it only takes one infected mosquito to infect a dog.