Is there heartworm disease in Alaska?
Even though we have lots of mosquitoes in Alaska there have been no documented cases of heartworm disease. Heartworms are worm like parasites that migrate through the dogs bloodstream to the heart and are transmitted by mosquitoes . The mosquitoes in Alaska do not have a long enough life cycle to promote development of the infective heartworm larva that is transmitted to dogs. There is heartworm disease in most of the lower 48 so if you are traveling, make sure to let your veterinarian know the area you will be in because your pet will probably need a heartworm preventative. If you just moved to Alaska from a heartworm area you should give 2 doses of heartworm preventative after arriving in Alaska.
