Heartworm disease causes severe suffering and death in infected dogs. Preventive medicine is highly effective, yet millions of dogs remain unprotected due to cost, access, and owner awareness gaps.
Heartworm disease represents a welfare failure of prevention. A dog that develops heartworm disease has experienced months of progressive cardiac and respiratory compromise before diagnosis, followed by demanding and risky treatment. All of this is preventable with inexpensive monthly medication. The welfare cost of untreated heartworm is real and significant: reduced exercise capacity, chronic coughing, breathing difficulty, and eventual cardiac death. Ensuring that all dogs have access to preventive medication — regardless of their owners' economic circumstances — is a concrete welfare intervention that reduces suffering at individual and population levels.