Heartworm is spread by mosquitoes and it is the most dangerous of all the worms for our pets.

Think about this: wherever there are mosquitoes, there is the risk of heartworm.

When an infected mosquito feeds on your pet's blood, the heartworm larvae enter the blood stream. These larvae mature into worms that can reach up to a scary 30 cm in length!

The worms can eventually become lodged in your pet's heart leading to heart failure. It is at this point that the disease can be fatal. Dogs are more commonly affected by heartworm disease but cats may also be at risk.

Prevention of heartworm is far better than an attempt at a cure but choosing the right heartworm medication can be confusing, especially with so many options on the market.

You need to be aware that many of the intestinal 'all wormer' tablets do not prevent against heartworm infection.

Due to our climate and geographical location, Orange is considered a low risk area for Heartworm disease. The use of preventative medications should be considered in consultation with one of our veterinarians. They will be able to assess the risk to your dog based on travel outside of Orange and provide you with an appropriate recommendation on whether prevention strategies are required.

There are topical treatments, oral treatments and a yearly injection for dogs. Ask us for the most suitable prevention for your pet - we will make sure your pet is protected.

If you think your pet has smelly, dirty or red ears it is time for a check up with us. Ear infections are very common at this time of the year and it's important that we visualise the canal and make sure your pet is not in any pain.

The ear contains its own 'mini environment' and this can be easily disrupted by heat, moisture and self trauma (for example from itching due to allergies). Bacteria and yeast love the change in environment and begin to increase in numbers, resulting in a very unhappy ear canal and an uncomfortable pet.

Watch out for:

• Shaking of the head
• Rubbing ears along the floor or furniture
• Itching behind ears with paws
• A head tilt
• Flicking of the ears (especially cats)
• Discharge - may be smelly and can be black, white or yellow
• Hot and red ears

We will use an otoscope (a fancy tool with a light) to examine your pet's ears and make sure there is not a foreign body such as a grass seed contributing to the problem.

A sample must be taken and stained with special chemicals to identify the type of bacteria or yeast under a microscope. This enables us to prescribe the correct medication for your pet and gives the ear the opportunity to heal as quickly as possible.

The good news is, we have lots of very effective medications available as well as some treatments that can help prevent recurrent ear infections - just ask us for more information.

If you think your pet might have itchy or smelly ears arrange a check up with us ASAP. The longer you leave an ear infection, the more painful the ear becomes and the harder (and more expensive) it becomes to treat.