Can I do anything in my dog’s environment to reduce the risk of heartworm?

Some people do treat their yard for mosquitoes, which can be helpful in reducing the mosquito population and, therefore, the risk. But all it really takes is one mosquito that carries heartworm larva to bite your dog and cause heartworm disease. So, again, even if you're doing the best treatment possible, even if you think there's a minimal risk of exposure to mosquitoes, I would recommend monthly heartworm preventative.

You can help reduce the mosquitoes present by limiting their access to getting inside, such as having a screened-in door. At the end of the day, however, they're still going to be present, so that's why prevention is key.

That's a great question because there is a vector for heartworm disease. If we could get rid of mosquitoes, that would get rid of heartworm disease. As you’re likely aware, mosquitoes transmit all kinds of diseases. And if we could eradicate mosquitoes, there would be lots of diseases that we would be able to get rid of. Unfortunately, that's just not the case. So even a strictly indoor dog, which is rare, that never steps foot outside is still going to be at risk in Texas because mosquitoes fly. They can get into the house, bite your dog, and transmit heartworm disease. You can do things in the environment to reduce your mosquito exposure, which I think is helpful and useful. Still, it in no way makes it okay for your dog to not be on heartworm prevention because you can never guarantee there won't be a mosquito in the environment.

We can. Vector control or mosquito control is probably the most important. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so try to eliminate standing water in your area. Flower pots can be a source of water for them to replicate in. Also, there are certain high feeding times for mosquitoes—morning is one, and then at dusk. Avoid having your dog hanging out outside during those times, and it might decrease your dog's risk of mosquito bites. However, that alone is not a preventative.

Even dogs in the house get infected with heartworm. Mosquitoes can get in the house and bite your dog and inject five to 10 baby worms into your dog.

Treating mosquitoes by keeping your yard free of mosquitoes, standing water, or anything that helps prevent mosquitoes will reduce the risk of heartworm infection.

Heartworms are carried by mosquitoes, so reducing the risk of mosquitoes in your yard might help. However, this often involves using insecticides which could be potentially harmful to you or your pet. Unfortunately, mosquitoes are the carriers of heartworm disease and they are everywhere, so completely eliminating the risk is not possible.

The best thing you can do is to keep your dog on heartworm prevention. While spending less time outside could help, it's important for your dog to have a good quality of life. In addition to heartworm prevention, you can consider mosquito control in your environment to reduce the risk of heartworms.

Make sure that they're being treated and try to decrease their risk for coming in contact with mosquitoes. So make sure you get rid of any non-moving bodies of water, such as just pots sitting with water in them or just bowls. You want to try to keep those rinsed out and keep those clean. You can also spray your yard with different antibiotics.