(StatePoint) The world’s deadliest animal isn’t a lion, tiger, bear or venomous snake. It’s a tiny but bloodthirsty insect: the mosquito. And the assumption of many pet lovers that mosquitoes are just a seasonal threat may be putting their four-legged family members at risk.

Mosquitoes harbor and transmit a variety of life-threatening diseases to people and their pets, thus earning the “world’s deadliest” designation. One of the most serious and prevalent mosquito-borne diseases in pets is heartworm disease—a disease characterized by foot-long worms that obstruct the lungs and arteries of pets, causing issues that range from coughing and vomiting to serious breathing problems and heart failure.

Pitfalls of “Seasonal” Heartworm Prevention

While heartworms can be easily prevented with med

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