More dogs are being diagnosed heartworm positive, one theory is that it is because of all the shelter dogs that are being sent here from down south, sometimes they don’t test positive at first, takes a few months to kick in. In the meantime, the mosquitos that bite heartworm positive dogs then bite your dog infect them. In other words, these dogs are carriers.
So, the heartworm pills help, especially if you give them as often as your vet recommends (depends on the geographical area you are in)
I am in the New England area and I have had to revaluate how often I give preventives.
I lost a dog to complications from Lyme, and imo what I saw her go through was worse than any side effects that potentially could be caused by these medications.
