Heartworm Disease in Dogs

Canine heartworm disease is a serious and deadly wherever mosquitoes are present. Each year thousands of dogs become permanently debilitated or die from lung, heart or circulatory problems caused by heartworms. Your dog can have heartworms for several months before symptoms are obvious. By then the disease may be difficult or impossible to treat successfully.

An infected dog becomes less active and tires easily. Coughing, weight loss, chronic fatigue and fainting may appear in advanced disease stages. Adult heartworms are found in the heart, lungs and major blood vessels. Secondary liver and kidney disease may result. Heartworms can grow from 5 to 14 inches long. In advanced cases, a hundred or more worms have been found in a single heart.

A simple blood test is usually required before starting your pet on effective, easy-to-use preventive medication. Regular blood testing throughout your pet’s life will ensure he or she is not infected despite preventative medication. Make sure your pet is tested and protected. Don't gamble with your pet's life!

The disease is spread from one dog to another by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes feeding on an infected dog pick up the larval stage of the parasite along with their blood meal. The larvae develop inside the mosquito and then later are passed to another dog with the bug’s next meal. Cats can also get heartworm disease.

Successful treatment depends on early detection and close veterinary supervision. If permanent damage has occurred, prognosis is very poor. It is easy and inexpensive to test for and prevent heartworm disease. The blood test requires only a brief office visit. The preventative medications usually cost from $3 to $15 per month, depending on the medication chosen and the size of the dog.

FACT... All dogs and cats, regardless of age, sex, size or breed, are at risk wherever mosquitoes are present. It takes only ONE infected mosquito to infect your dog.

FACT... Heartworm Disease can kill your dog.

FACT... Effective, easy-to-use preventive medication can save your dog's life! Not only are heartworm medications reasonably priced but many of them now prevent roundworms, whipworms and hookworms as well. These parasites live in the intestines. 95% of puppies are born with one or another of these parasites, and they are common in adult dogs as well, especially those that spend a lot of time outdoors. Roundworms and hookworms can also cause problems for people, especially children who may be out barefoot in the yard, or toddlers who may put soiled fingers in their mouths. There are 10,000 cases of animal parasites causing disease in children every year in the United States.

It’s a good idea to have a stool sample checked for intestinal parasites at the time the heartworm test is done. If the stool sample is positive for intestinal parasites, your pet will need de-worming to kill adult intestinal worms. Most heartworm preventatives will help prevent your dog from becoming re-infested with the intestinal parasites. Eggs of intestinal parasites survive on grass for long periods of time, so without the heartworm medication, it is very common for dogs to pick up intestinal parasites repeatedly from their yard.

Heartworm preventatives come in both chewable beef flavored form or in non-chewable. They also come in pills that are given either once a day or once monthly. Which kind you choose depends on what is easier for you to remember to give.

Preventative medication should be started as soon as your pet has been blood tested. In the northern or central states, the medication should be continued, either daily or monthly, until at least one month after a hard freeze in the fall. Even though it may seem cold, mosquitoes will come out to feed on warm, sunny, fall days, so it is important not to stop the medication too soon. In the south, heartworm preventative should be given year-round.

Because of their affect on intestinal parasites as well as heartworms, more and more veterinarians are recommending that heartworm preventatives be administered all year, regardless of where you live.

Unfortunately, heartworm disease is here to stay. There will always be dog owners who choose not to put their pets on a heartworm prevention program. Nationwide, this percentage is anywhere from 25-50% of dogs and even more cats. Heartworm is also carried and spread by other wild canids - wolves, foxes and coyotes. These unprotected animals serve as a reservoir, spreading the disease to other pets. Please don't let your dog become a victim of this deadly disease. Call for an appointment to get your pet started on a parasite prevention program today.