Does my dog need heartworm prevention before traveling overseas?

Unfortunately, nowadays heart worm occurs in every state. So you can check with your vet and get her started on heartworm medication before your trip. Apart from that she should have the full course of vaccinations including a rabies vaccination.

The dog should be heartworm tested and then started on a prevention, if negative. Heartgard, Interceptor, and Sentinel are all oral medications that work well with preventing heartworms. You should also treat him with a flea/tick prevention. I like oral NexGard, Bravecto, or Credellio instead of the topical spot on solutions.

Heartworm disease is completely preventable dogs. There are now multiple options for heartworm preventative is available to pet owners. Most often these preventatives are given orally once a month or sometimes applied topically once a month. There are options now also for injections that last about six months. It just depends on what your veterinarian has available. It is usually recommended to give heartworm preventative year-round but this may vary depending on where in the country you live. Any dog who has not been on heartworm preventative, should be tested for heartworms prior to starting prevention. And then heartworm testing is recommended every one to two years while on heartworm preventative.

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.

Heartworm prevention should be given year round to be safe in countries with a heartworm problem like the US, but given that it's icy cold there, it's highly unlikely Bella will get it, especially if there's never been a case of it in your country :-) Yes, it's fine for you to take her on a trip in the spring. Recovering from a spay surgery takes 10-14 days, and while she should remain quiet and resting for that entire time, it will be safe to take her on a trip after that time has passed!

Advantix is not protecting you dog against heartworm so it's not a very good option, you would want a product that covers also for heartworm such as Revolution or Advocate (although heartworm is not a real concern if you live in Bosnia). here is alink that will provide you all the information you need regarding heartworm: https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm-basics

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Revolution is excellent. That is actually what I use for my own dogs. Heartworm prevention is indeed needed in all stages and I would highly recommend heartworm prevention which is included in the revolution. However, it is important to make sure that Maggie does not have heartworms before you start it so I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for a heartworm test first if she was not on heartworm prevention previously. Good luck and have a great day!