Heartworm Prevention
Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes, and in Sugar Land they're active for most of the year. Our Sugar Land clinic on Southwest Freeway, near First Colony and Telfair, starts dogs and cats on year-round prevention at a wellness exam.
Dogs get a heartworm test first, because giving prevention to a dog that already has heartworms can cause a serious reaction.
Call (346) 436-6295 or book online.
When it's an emergency: Go straight to a 24-hour emergency hospital for sudden collapse, labored breathing, or coughing up blood. We're open 8 AM to 6 PM, seven days a week, and we don't provide overnight care.
Why Prevention Is Monthly, All Year
Heartworm preventives work backward: each dose clears young larvae picked up over the previous weeks. A missed month leaves a gap that later doses can't always close.
Sugar Land's winters rarely stay cold long enough to stop mosquitoes for good. A few warm days in January are enough for them to bite again.
“Was focused on the care for my dog and not trying to be pushy with selling me things like most other vets.”
— Marcus B., Petfolk client.
Your Cat Needs It Too
Cats get heartworm disease less often than dogs, but it's harder to detect and there's no approved treatment. According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners, about one in four infected cats lives indoors.
Mosquitoes come in through doors, garages, and screened porches, so an indoor cat isn't fully protected. Prevention is the only protection cats have.
What Sugar Land's Mosquito Program Does, and Doesn't, Cover
The City of Sugar Land sprays for mosquitoes on Friday nights from May through October, treats drainage ditches and storm sewers with larvicide, and traps mosquitoes to test for West Nile virus. In 2024 the city found West Nile-positive mosquitoes in several neighborhoods, including near Oyster Creek Drive and Greatwood Parkway.
City spraying knocks down adult mosquitoes for a while. It doesn't reach water in your own yard, and it stops after October while mosquitoes don't.
Empty plant saucers, buckets, kiddie pools, and clogged gutters weekly; container mosquitoes breed in very little water.
Change pet water bowls outside daily.
Give prevention on the same day each month, and set a reminder.
If You Missed a Dose
Don't double up, and don't restart on your own after a long gap. Call us with the date of the last dose. Depending on how long it's been, the doctor may restart prevention and recommend a heartworm test months later to make sure nothing slipped through.
If you'd rather not track monthly doses, ask the doctor about longer-acting options at your pet's exam.
When You Don't Need a New Prescription
If your dog tested negative this year and is on a preventive the doctor prescribed, you don't need a separate visit to keep going. Refills follow your pet's current plan. Switching brands or restarting after a lapse is when you should talk to the doctor first.
What Heartworm Prevention Costs
Prevention is usually started or renewed at a wellness exam. A wellness exam is $99, or included with PetfolkCare.
The preventive is priced by your pet's weight and the product. Dogs also need a heartworm test, which runs in our in-clinic lab. PetfolkCare is $199 a year and takes 10% off preventives and labs. You'll see the cost before you agree to anything.
Protect Every Month of the Year
Year-round prevention is simpler than treatment. Call (346) 436-6295 or book a wellness exam online to get your dog or cat started.