Are heartworms in dogs contagious?

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asked Feb 23, 2020 in Dogs by Drfell (300 points)
Are heartworms in dogs contagious?

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answered Feb 23, 2020 by Avarado (27,970 points)
No heartworm in dogs is not contagious to either dogs or humans.

So a dog cannot get heartworms from being around another dog who does have heartworms and a human cannot get heartworms from being around the dog who has heartworms.

Heartworm infects a dog through a mosquito bite so if a dog does not get bitten by a mosquito they will not get heartworm.

You should only give your dog heartworm medicine if the dog actually has heartworms as giving the dog heartworm medicine as a preventative measure may actually cause the dog more harm than it does good.

Heartworm medicine can sometimes cause heart issues with a dog and shorten their already short enough lifespan.

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