HEARTWORM QUESTION..

[momPaws]

Honey is of course on HW meds (year round) and gets tested, but I have a question: Try as I may to eliminate standing water in the yard, wheelbarrow,etc..she always manages to find some stagnant water to drink before I can catch her. If it has mosq. larve in it (or whaterever causes HW disease) could this hurt her if she is on the meds??

[Mary Plummer]

...that they transmit the worm. I can't remember exactly, but I don't think drinking mosquito larvae would cause heartworm. Of course, who knows what else it could do?? Mr. Blue LOVES to drink from standing, stagnant water pools too, and I don't approve. I've noticed that this doesn't stop him, though

[Traci]

Those water sources you two are talking about are good sources for contamination as in giardia. Usually it is contaminated or really dirty water, but if you can, try keeping things around your yard at least rinsed and flushed out.

It is through the blood that the heartworm is transmitted, I don't think the larvae would survive long enough in standing or stagnant water.

[davet]

ytout dog could drink all the larvae and not get HWs as you could drink snake venom and have to ptoblem escept an upset stomach...the mosquito has to inject the bad stuff into the dog to become infected,,,just as a snake has to inject the venom into you to cause a problem....next time your bored go to a rabies virus drnking party....probably gross but you wouldn't get rabies---i know, except in rare lesion cases...

[momPaws]

yikes! I'll stick to Pepsi, Davet!