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Heartworms

Pet Care

Heartworms

Our Clinic Heartworm Policy

The Detection and Prevention of Heartworm Disease in Dogs

Canine heartworm disease is debilitating and potentially fatal to your dog – and entirely preventable.  That’s why at our pet hospital, we take heartworm prevention very seriously.

It is our policy to test the dogs in our care for heartworm disease every year – and to recommend using Heartgard Plus every month.  A yearly heartworm test not only helps assure your dog’s good health, it is necessary to keep the Plus Guarantee of Satisfaction on Heartgard Plus in effect.

Ask us about heartworm disease testing and 100% prevention with Heartgard Plus…Guaranteed.

More on Heartworms

Heartworms are parasites that invade a pet’s circulatory system and heart.  Adult heartworms produce offspring, called microfilariae, which travel through the pet’s blood.  Mosquitoes feed on an infected pet and serve as a host while the baby heartworms mature for about two weeks.  After that period, the mosquito can then transfer infective heartworm larvae when they bite another pet.

Heartworm larvae then move through the pet’s tissues and circulatory system and reach the heart in five to six months. Here, they will arrive as small worms.  Once they are in the heart, the adult worms will then produce offspring.  Heartworms can be up to twelve inches in length, and sometimes even longer.  They can survive in a pet’s heart for several years.  In severe cases, a dog may be infected with up to 300 heartworms.

All dogs and all cats are at risk for heartworm infection.  Age, breed, and sex have no effect on the heartworms.  Heartworms are found in all parts of the United States and Canada.

The key is to prevent the disease.  There are medications out there that your veterinarian can prescribe for your pet to prevent him from getting heartworms.  Before using a heartworm prevention, your pet should first be tested.  Even while on heartworm prevention, your pet should be tested annually.  It is crucial to administer all prescribe heartworm preventatives as directed.

There are several signs associated with heartworm infection.  Be sure to see your veterinarian right away if you notice a sudden weight loss, rough hair coat, difficulty breathing, a soft, persistent cough, listlessness or weakness, or if your pet tires easily.  These things may be more noticeable after a period of exercise.  Heartworms clog the heart and the main blood vessels, reducing the blood supply to other organs.  This is why breathing and other functions are affected.

To test for heartworms, it takes a simple blood test.  If heartworms are present, additional bloodworm and tests may be needed to determine whether or not your pet is a candidate for heartworm treatment.  If a dog’s infection isn’t too severe, and injection will be given to kill the adult heartworms.  The dog will need complete rest for en entire month after the injection.  Dead and decomposing heartworms circulate through the blood and into the lungs during and after treatment.  After about a month, your dog will need to be treated for the baby heartworms.  This is the stage that may need to be repeated if all of the microfilariae are not killed. 

Dogs with severe infections may not tolerate the typical heartworm treatment protocol.  You veterinarian will discuss with you what will need to be done to keep your dog comfortable.

More than 95% of dogs with heartworms are treated successfully.  Most are cured by medications, but rarely some are treated with surgery.  Early detection and prevention prevent any need for heartworm treatment.

No heartworm treatment is approved for the use in cats.  Once a cat has been diagnosed with heartworms, there will be two options.  The first is to treat the cat with drugs approved only for dogs.  There will be side effects and some may include respiratory failure and death, in a small percentage in cats.  The second option is to treat the symptoms of the disease and hope the cat outlives the heartworms.  Heartworms can stay in the body for about two years.  The cat may be treated with oxygen and medication to help him breathe and may need drugs to remove fluid from his lungs.  Continuing medical treatment is necessary.

 

 
 

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