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Can mosquito bites make my dog sick? What about heartworm?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Australian Cattle Dog | Male | neutered | 8 months and 14 days old | 42.5 lbs

Can dogs get diseases transmitted by mosquitoes? West Nile Virus, etc.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 1st, 2018

Heart worm disease is transmitted by mosquitos. This is by far the biggest concern for diseases spread by mosquitos that we see in dogs. Dogs are quite resistant to developing disease from west nile virus, so while they can technically become infected, they don't get sick. Dogs do not get malaria from mosquitos. There is another form of malaria that affects dogs that is spread by ticks. Ticks can also transmit a number of other diseases to dogs, including lyme disease, and many other diseases. Here is a website with a lot of great information on what diseases your pets can get from mosquitos and ticks: http://www.cvbd.org/en/mosquito-borne-diseases/ Talk to your veterinarian about a monthly heart worm prevention, as well as flea/tick control measures. These are important parts of your pet's healthcare! I hope that helps you! thanks for asking PetCoach!

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