Dog heartworm prevention is preferable to the actual treatment of the parasitic worm infection or disease. Instances of heartworm have been diagnosed throughout the world. In most areas of the United States, heartworm is considered to be an important pet health care issue. The normal host for heartworm is the dog but other animals including cats, raccoons, ferrets, horses, foxes, wolves and even humans can have or carry the heartworm disease.
Heartworm infection means that the dog has been affected by one or more life stages of the heartworm. When a dog is first infected with heartworm, there are no visible or detectable signs or symptoms. The infection cannot be detected even with one of the several types of blood tests until the heartworms have been present for about 6 months, are sexually mature, and females are present. Adult heartworms can live in your dog for up to 7 years without treatment. Heartworm disease means that a dog has health problems associated with the presence of heartworms in the right ventricle of the heart and nearby blood vessels. These health problems can be detected through x-rays and include inflamed blood vessels, blood clots, aneurysms, and complete blockage of various vessels around the heart and lungs. These blockages cause fluid to begin to accumulate and usually cause breathing difficulties. Without treatment, eventual heart failure will result.
Dog heartworm prevention includes first testing any dog over 7 months of age for the presence of heartworm before stating on preventatives. Puppies as young as 8 weeks should be started on dog heartworm prevention products with follow-up testing at 7 months of age. Heartworm testing generally involves a simple blood test to look for certain proteins produced by the sexually mature female heartworm or the larvae stages of heartworms. Dogs should be regularly tested for heartworm – yearly if even one dose was missed or every 2-3 years if doses are not missed and given year round. Since heartworm infection is usually contracted by being bitten by an infected mosquito, dog heartworm prevention should not only include preventatives for the dog but also local mosquito control such as the removal of standing water sources where mosquitoes can breed.
Treatment for heartworm disease involves two types of pesticides, one to kill the adults and one to kill the larvae. Each are given at separate intervals. Dogs must be kept quiet and inactive during treatment and for several weeks afterwards. Activity can dislodge the dead heartworms before the body can absorb them. The dislodged worms can then travel to the lungs and cause death. In extreme cases, some of the adult worms may need to be removed surgically prior to treatment.
Preventing heartworm disease is definitely easier on the dog and you and is now much simpler than it used to be. Dog heartworm preventatives kill the immature heartworm larvae before they can molt. Dog heartworm preventions come in oral or topical versions. The most common dog heartworm preventions are given once a month by the pet’s caretaker. Many of these products also work to prevent other types of parasitic worms and/or fleas, ticks and mites. As long as they are given every month, dog heartworm prevention products are very effective (up to 99%) in preventing heartworm infection and the subsequent development of heartworm disease. The choice of which dog heartworm prevention product to use will ultimately be determined by you, and a discussion with your veterinarian and what is best for your pet is highly recommended.
