Heartworm Prevention
Heartworm preventives work backward, clearing larvae from the past month, so a late or missed dose leaves a gap you can't see. Petfolk Johns Creek, at Medley in Johns Creek Town Center, helps you pick a preventive your pet will actually take and keep it on schedule all year.
Prevention is a prescription, and it usually fits into a wellness visit at our Johns Creek clinic.
Call (470) 964-6691 or book online. Open 8am–6pm, seven days a week.
When to go to a 24-hour emergency hospital
Go to a 24-hour emergency hospital if your dog collapses, has pale gums, struggles to breathe, or passes dark brown urine, or if your cat has sudden breathing trouble. These can be signs of severe heartworm disease.
Petfolk Johns Creek is open 8am to 6pm, seven days a week. We don't provide overnight care, so anything that can't wait until morning belongs at a 24-hour emergency hospital.
Why Prevention Beats Treatment
Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes and grow into long worms in the heart and lungs. A dog can carry them for months with no visible signs. The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention and notes that treatment in dogs is costly and difficult, with multiple visits and months of exercise restriction.
Cats are harder. There's no approved drug to kill heartworms in cats, so prevention is the only protection. Indoor cats still get bitten when mosquitoes slip inside.
Mosquito Season in North Fulton
The Fulton County Board of Health runs a mosquito monitoring program. When traps test positive, the county sprays within a quarter mile weekly for at least four weeks. On Sept. 1, 2026, West Nile-positive traps turned up at Roswell Area Park and Garrard Landing Park, next door to Johns Creek.
West Nile isn't heartworm, but a positive trap tells you mosquitoes are active and biting nearby. The county's Tip 'n Toss campaign asks residents to empty standing water weekly:
Birdbaths, plant saucers, and pet water bowls left outside
Clogged gutters and kids' toys that hold rain
Tarps and grill covers that collect puddles
Less standing water means fewer mosquitoes, but no yard is mosquito-free. Monthly prevention is still the protection that counts.
Choosing a Preventive Your Pet Will Take
The best product is the one that goes in on time, every time. The vet weighs your pet and talks through the options:
Monthly chewables, which some dogs treat as a snack and others spit out
Topicals, which work for pets who refuse pills
Combination products that also cover fleas, ticks, or intestinal worms
You stay by your pet's side through the exam, and you leave with dosing instructions and reminders through the Petfolk app.
When You Don't Need an Urgent Visit
Many prevention questions are scheduling questions. A dose that's a few days late, a chew found under the couch, or a switch from topical to oral usually doesn't need a same-day visit. Call or text the clinic, and the team will tell you whether to give the dose now and when to test.
Coughing, tiring quickly on short walks, or vomiting after a dose is different. Those need an exam.
What Prevention Costs Depend On
Your pet's weight, which sets the dose
The product type and what else it covers
How many months you buy at once
Whether a heartworm test is due before the refill
“They have been honest and upfront with me and helped work within my budget.”
— Sandi M., Petfolk client
Prevention usually happens at the wellness visit, and you'll get an estimate before anything is prescribed. PetfolkCare members get 10% off flea, tick, and heartworm preventives.
Keep the Months Covered
Book a wellness visit at Petfolk Johns Creek, choose a preventive your pet will actually take, and set up reminders before you leave. Call (470) 964-6691 or book online.