Heartworm disease is a life-threatening condition that can result in heart failure, severe lung disease, damage to other organs, and even death for Kennesaw dogs and cats. Here, our vets explain why prevention is key.
What is Heartworm disease?
Heartworm disease is spread through the bite of infected mosquitos and is primarily caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis.
Pets including dogs, cats, and ferrets may become definitive hosts, meaning that worms live inside the animal, where they mature into adults, mate, and produce offspring. We call this a serious condition heartworm disease because the worms live in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels of an infected pet.
What Are The Symptoms Of Heartworm Disease?
Unfortunately, the symptoms of heartworm disease do not appear until the disease has become more advanced. The most common symptoms of heartworm disease include swollen abdomen, coughing, fatigue, weight loss, and difficulty breathing.
How Does My Vet Check My Pet For Heartworms?
Your vet can complete blood tests to detect heartworm proteins (antigens), which are released into the animal's bloodstream. Heartworm proteins can't be detected until about five months (at the earliest) after an animal is bitten by an infected mosquito.
What If My Pet Is Diagnosed With Heartworms?
Pet parents need to note that treatment for heartworm disease may cause serious complications and be potentially toxic to your pet's body. Not only that, but treatment is also expensive because it requires multiple visits to the veterinarian, bloodwork, hospitalization, X-rays, and a series of injections. This is why we believe that prevention is essential when it comes to heartworm disease.
That said, if your pet is diagnosed with heartworm, your vet will have treatment options available. FDA-approved melarsomine dihydrochloride is a drug that contains arsenic. It kills adult heartworms. Melarsomine dihydrochloride will be administered via injection into your pet's back muscles to treat the disease.
Topical FDA-approved solutions are also available. These can help to get rid of parasites in the bloodstream when applied directly to the animal's skin.
How Can I Prevent My Pet From Getting Heartworm Disease?
We recommend keeping your pet on preventive medication to prevent heartworm disease. Even if they are already on preventive heartworm medication, we recommend that dogs be tested for heartworms annually.
Heartworm prevention is safer, easier, and much more affordable than treating the progressed disease. Several heartworm preventive medications can also help protect against other parasites such as hookworms, whipworms, and roundworms.