Does my elderly indoor cat in Georgia still need heartworm meds?

Mosquitoes transmit heartworm, so if there's any chance that a mosquito can get inside and you are in a heartworm endemic area it would be a good idea. Heartworm disease is not as common in cats as it is in dogs, but there is no treatment for adult heartworms in cats and infection can be fatal.

Heart worms are transmitted by mosquitoes. Since it is impossible to keep mosquitoes out of the house, your dogs can be infected even if they never go outside. So this is why it is important to do heart worm prevention. Your dogs will need to have heart worm tests done before they can get prescription heart worm medication.

Yes, if you live in an area with mosquitos. Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes, not by dog to dog contact. The mosquito injects larva into the blood when they bite the dog and over six months they grow into adult heartworms that live in the heart and surrounding blood vessels. Infected dogs have many worms in their heart and they eventually die of heart failure if not treated. The treatment is expensive and can be hard on the dog. Heartworm prevention is given monthly for life and protects your dog from heartworms and intestinal parasites. There are many different safe products some that include flea prevention also. Please talk with your veterinarian about getting prevention for Sophie soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sophie.

Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes. So, your dog will not infect the cat. However, if your cat is indoor and outdoor, she is at risk of contracting heartworms if she is not currently taking prevention.

If they tested negative for heartworms within the last six months, then it should be fine to give them the heartworm medication. Just double check with their vet. The heartworm medication is prescription only, so they will have to see their vet to get more. Be sure to give it to them once a month. Set up a calendar on your phone with a monthly reminder to give it to them. I hope this helps!

You can start both of them anytime now. Before starting the heartworm treatment, we recommend having her tested for heartworm. This is important, because if she happened to acquire heartworm (spread by mosquitos), then the preventative medication can cause a bad reaction. Your vet can do the testing and prescribe a preventative. Below are links to more information about heartworm and fleas. https://mobile.petcoach.co/amp/article/heartworms-dirofilaria-immitis-in-cats https://www.petcoach.co/article/the-best-flea-prevention-plan-for-your-cat/ I hope that helps and all is well with Ellie.

Hello, thank you for your question about Priscilla. In general most veterinarians do not recommend the feline leukemia vaccine unless the cat goes outside. I would still recommend still getting the FVRCP (or feline 3 in 1 vaccine) for Priscila; these viruses/diseases can be life threatening. Additionally, having Priscila dewormed is also still recommended, as cats can get a GI parasite infection through contact with mosquitoes and other insects. Hope this helps!