The Cape Coral Animal Shelter in Cape Coral, FL, is issuing a warning and encouraging pet owners to ensure their pets are on a monthly heartworm preventative.
Our warm, humid climate and abundant rainfall creates ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes—and this can be deadly to our pets. As summer reaches its peak, so does the risk of pets contracting heartworm disease—a serious and potentially fatal condition spread by mosquitoes—that affects both dogs and cats.
Heartworm is spread by mosquitoes, making it especially dangerous in warm, humid climates like ours. Once infected, a pet can suffer from severe lung disease, heart failure, organ damage, and in some cases, death. Dogs are natural hosts for heartworms, but cats are also at risk—even indoor cats.
The tragedy? Heartworm disease is completely preventable.
“It is absolutely imperative that all pets—dogs and cats alike—are on monthly heartworm preventative” said Liz McCauley, Executive Director of the Cape Coral Animal Shelter. “This disease is not just dangerous—it can be deadly. Prevention is simple, but once infected, the treatment is long, expensive, and painful for the animal. We urge every pet owner to take this seriously.”
What Pet Owners Need to Know
- Prevention is key. Consult with your veterinarian about monthly preventive medication. It’s safer, easier, and far less expensive than treating an infected animal.
- Signs of heartworm in dogs include coughing, fatigue, reduced appetite, and weight loss. In cats, symptoms may be subtle or include vomiting, respiratory distress, or sudden collapse.
- Testing and early treatment are critical. Heartworm damage can begin long before your pet shows signs of illness.
How You Can Help Our Shelter Animals
At Cape Coral Animal Shelter, we are currently treating a growing number of heartworm-positive animals, and we need your help. Treating heartworm-positive pets is time-consuming and expensive. It can take 6 to 12 months for a dog to recover, and the costs of medications, veterinary care, and sheltering add up quickly. Please visit www.capecoralanimalshelter.com/donate or visit us in person to learn more about how you can help.
Together, we can protect pets from this silent killer—and give heartworm-positive animals the love and care they need to survive and thrive.
The Cape Coral Animal Shelter & Veterinary Clinic is located at 325 SW 2nd Avenue in Cape Coral, FL. For more information, please go to capecoralanimalshelter.com or call 239-573-2002.