Heartworm is serious and infections with the parasite can lead to death in affected dogs and cats. Although prevention is nearly 100% successful, more than 1 million pets in the United States have heartworm infections. Medications to prevent heartworm target the larval stage of the parasite &ndash...

There are many diseases and conditions common to both cats and dogs — including heartworm. Dogs are considered the natural host for heartworms, meaning that after being infected, the parasite can mature, mate, and multiply inside a dog fairly efficiently. Cats, on the other hand, are considere...

In recent years there's been an increasing prevalence of heartworm infections in both dogs and cats. The belief that “heartworm isn’t really a problem in my area” is no longer a safe or reliable assumption. Diagnoses have been made in every state of the United States including plac...

Heartworm disease once had a reputation of just being a "southern" problem that dog owners in the Gulf Coast and southeastern regions of the U.S. needed to worry about. There was also a time when heartworm disease in cats was not thought to be much of a concern and, therefore, was rarely discussed d...

Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common form of heart disease in dogs, representing 70–80% of acquired cardiac conditions in canines. In senior dogs over the age of 13, approximately 30% have clinical evidence of the disease and postmortem studies suggest up to 90% may be aff...