How to Prevent Heartworms in Dogs Through Landscaping

We love our canine friends and we want to see them well. While we can usually protect them from their own curiosity (my dog loves to eat discarded napkins), there are threats out there that can't be avoided by pulling on their leash.

Sleeping under the sun out in the yard is what doghood is all about.

As a dog owner, chances are you know about heartworms already. If not, be sure to ask about them during your dog's next visit to the vet. You can also read about them here.

Essentially, they are these parasites that can grow inside your dog's body. They can permanently damage your dog's health, and may even be potentially fatal.

They do so by growing over a foot long inside a dog's heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels (it's not a pretty picture). Having these worms inside their body, dogs can experience severe lung disease, heart failure, and extensive damage to other vital organs.

Like other parasites, heartworms are always looking for new hosts, and mosquitoes are their partners in crime. So, preventing the spread of mosquitoes can greatly reduce the chance of your dog getting heartworms.

Toys like this can hold a lot of water after the rain

Mosquitoes love being around water, and they don't need a lot of it. Even a bottle cap with a little bit of water in it can be a breeding ground for these flying leeches.

To get rid of them from around your home, you just have to make sure there is no water sitting around on your property.

The easiest thing you can do is to check for stagnant water in places like the plate under your flower pots, neglected toys left on the lawn, holes in your backyard, etc. You name it. Your due diligence here can increase your dog's chances at remaining healthy.

Mosquitoes also thrive in tall grass, weeds and shrubs. Be sure to keep the grass on your property well-manicured during the warm seasons (get them lawn mowers ready). If you have a flooding situation or excessive water from your neighbour's property is escaping into yours, look into building retaining walls around your property and/or installing weeping tiles to alleviate the wetness.

Is this your yard?

If your backyard is a swamp, chances are there are tons of mosquitoes in there living rent-free. Who knows what kind of diseases they are carrying. Consider paving a concrete patio or switching to interlocking stones in your backyard. Eliminating soil can get rid of mosquitoes and your dog won't track mud into the house again.

If you can remove and control the stagnant water on your property, your dog should be able to stay safe from mosquito-related parasites while it's home.

Thank you for reading!