Apr 1, 2021 / 03:34 PM EST Did you know? It’s National Heartworm Awareness Month: Indiana continues to rank high (top 12 ) for canine heartworm disease. Tom Dock, BSc, CVJ, Director of Communications Practice Manager, Noah’s at Wheaton, tells us what we need to look out for: 1) Heartworms are parasites that can live in our pets’ heart and/or lungs, can live for 5-7 years and are often up to a foot long in length! 2) Spread by mosquitoes, these parasites can cause severe disease in our pets and Indiana ranks 12th in canine heartworm cases across the United States. 3) According to petsandparasites.org, in 2020, one out of every 100 dogs in Marion County tested positive for heartworms, with more than 444 cases in our local area alone!. Across the state, the numbers were even worse with more than 4750 pups coming up positive!