The signs can vary pretty significantly. It varies from mild to moderate to severe to worst cases, even death. Some dogs go asymptomatic at the beginning, meaning they're not showing any clinical signs or symptoms, which solely could progress into a cough or just more exercise intolerance, getting tired easily. As it progresses into the more moderate, severe signs, you see breathing issues, bulging rib cage, trying to catch their breath, a persistent potential cough. In some dogs, we can hear a heart murmur because remember this is a heartworm, it goes through the blood and lives inside the heart. So it affects the heart which can back up and eventually lead to fluid in the abdomen, fluid in the chest, and it can lead to enlarged hearts and enlarged livers as well. So as far as clinical signs, exercise intolerance, coughing, panting, difficulty breathing, losing weight, not eating as much. These are some typical signs you could watch for.

I do believe so, yes.

Fleas and ticks will most certainly not resolve on their own. Unfortunately, despite what we want, fleas and ticks are parasites and they do live in the environment. And so even if they're not in the animal, if they do tend to jump into the environment, they can stay there for quite some time.

Definitely one of the biggest ways would be to give flea and tick preventatives all year round.

I do believe so. Although we do have a lot of clients who say that there aren't any fleas and ticks at home that they can see, sometimes the fleas do kind of track on those shoes and when we come into our house, they can also be there. Some of our clients have dogs as well as cats. And even if their cats are indoors almost constantly, sometimes the dogs can bring in the fleas and ticks as well.