Heartworms: Prevention, Signs, Symptoms & Treatment

October 8, 2018

Heartworm Treatment & Prevention

Do you know all there is to know about heartworm in dogs? Heartworm symptoms and heartworm prevention? Heartworms in dogs are very serious and can be contracted by just one bite from an infected mosquito. Easy to prevent but costly to cure, heartworm disease should be high on your radar.
We love our four-legged children, protect them from fast cars, buy their favorite treats and snuggle with them on the couch. Equally important and even critical, however, is safeguarding them from heartworm disease. When contracted, heartworm is potentially fatal and will cause serious damage to the heart, lungs and vital organs.

In the United States alone, it is estimated that over one million dogs have heartworm. Even though this number is high, it is especially daunting because heartworm disease is avoidable. Heartworm prevention for dogs is highly effective and can save you money, time and heartache later down the road.
If you haven’t started heartworm prevention, it’s not too late. Let’s take a look at some heartworm basics, preventative measures, symptoms, testing and heartworm treatment.

Heartworm Basics

The Role of the Mosquito : Mosquitos are the primary catalyst of spreading overall heartworm disease and heartworms in dogs. Mosquitoes become exposed to microscopic baby worms, medically termed microfilaria, when they feed on an infected animal. When these baby worms mature into contagious larvae, they are transferred to their next respective host through a mosquito bite that punctures the skin.

Dogs as a Natural Heartworm Host: Dogs are natural hosts to heartworms, which mean the transferred larvae will mature into adults within 6 months and then begin to reproduce and will continue to reproduce. A heartworm can live up to 5 to 7 years inside it’s canine home and overtime can multiply to several hundred.

Long Term Damage: If you suspect heartworm infection in your dog, it is imperative to have a heartworm test performed as soon as possible. The quicker you catch heartworm infection, the quicker you can minimize long-term damage to the heart, lungs and arteries. Even without heartworm symptoms, the American Heartworm Society recommends you have your vet administer a heartworm test every 12 months.

Risk in All 50States: Canine heart worm has been reported in all 50 states. Even if you live in an area that has a low mosquito population, your pet can still contract the disease. The wind can blow mosquitoes very long distances. It is possible that the mosquitoes in your neighborhood arrived by chance and hail from a population full of prominent heartworm carriers such as coyotes, foxes and other wild species.

Heartworm Prevention

The good news about heartworm disease is, it is preventable! All heartworm prevention is designed to target the larval stages of the parasite. Adhering to a strict timetable of prevention is important because after about 60 days, the larvae will have matured to an adult worm. Once in the adult stage, preventative heartworm medicine becomes ineffective. Even though heartworm prevention is available, many pet owners simply do not use it. It could be cost association, forgetfulness or the “won’t happen to me” phenomenon. Paying for heartworm treatment in dogs could come one way or another. If contracted, hefty vet bills and medication will affect your pocketbook. Moreover, emotional distress, time and your dog’s health will be compromised. Costly and painful, the best option is to invest in heartworm prevention. Another added benefit of monthly heartworm prevention is most products also contain a general dewormer for intestinal parasites.

Heartworm Symptoms

The beginning stages of heartworm infection will often go unnoticed. However, as heartworm disease progresses, clinical heartworm symptoms will surface. Signs of heartworm infection may include:

A mild persistent cough
Decreased energy
Fatigue after basic activity
Lack of appetite
Weight loss

Severe heartworm infection can lead to heart failure, excess fluid in the abdomen and cardiovascular collapse. Caval syndrome, a cardiac consequence of progressive heartworm disease, includes quick-forming blood flow blockages in the heart. If your pet suddenly develops labored breathing, pale gums or urine that is bloody, dark or cola-colored, contact your emergency veterinarian immediately.

Heartworm Testing

It can take 6 months or longer for heartworms in dogs to develop the heartworm proteins, which trigger a positive result on a heartworm test. Therefore, heartworm infection can be easily missed if a heartworm test is not performed regularly. Per the guidelines of The American Heartworm Society, your vet should administer a heartworm test every 12 months. Your vet can perform a heartworm test during your dog’s annual well-care check. A small blood sample is all that is required for a heartworm test. Even if your dog is on a heartworm prevention program, it is important to test for heartworms. While heartworm prevention for dogs is largely successful, a missed dose can create a window of opportunity for the wrong buzzing bite. If the first heartworm test yields positive, your vet should follow through with additional testing to confirm the diagnosis. While you may not want to learn that your dog has heartworms, heartworm treatment is often successful…especially when started early!

Heartworm Treatment

The goal of heartworm treatment is to eliminate all of the heartworm parasites whilekeeping your dog as comfortable as possible. Your vet will have a set ofspecific procedures and next steps for you to follow. However, heartworm treatment for dogsgenerally entails:

Restriction ofPhysical Activity : Excess exertion and exercise will increase the rate ofdamage done to your dog’s heart and lungs. Keep your pet calm and inactive tothe very best of your ability.
Stabilize OutsideInfluences : Your vet will be the expert decision maker but if your doghas a separate medical condition or special circumstances, it will be necessaryfor overall stabilization before beginning heartworm treatment.
AdministerTreatment : Heartwormtreatment will follow several steps and should follow protocol asoutlined by the American Heartworm Society. Make sure your vet makes you awareof potential complications and be prepared to give your beloved breed a lot ofTLC.
Follow-Up Testing : At the 6-monthmark, you should have a heartwormtest performed to make sure that all the worms are eradicated from thebody. Moving forward make sure to continue with routine heartworm tests and structured heartworm prevention.