As a dog owner you will
have no doubt heard about the devastating disease caused by
heartworms. Brought about by a parasitical worm, these life-
threatening worms are to blame for a number of dog deaths
every year. Here is what you must do to minimize the chance
of your dog catching the disease and if, unfortunately, your
dog does fall victim to the parasite, the best way of
treating it.
As they are a danger to all dogs, it is essential to be
aware of how heartworms are spread. An infected dog is
bitten by a mosquito which picks up the parasite’s eggs from
the blood of the infected animal. In turn, these eggs
produce and develop into larvae while hosted by the
mosquito. The next time a mosquito feeds on a dog the larvae
are passed into the bloodstream of the newly bitten dog
where the worms mature and travel to the right side of the
heart and pulmonary arteries. Once they breed in the new
host their eggs are released back into the bloodstream to be
picked up by the next mosquito looking for a meal. And so
the cycle continues. As mosquitoes are the main carriers of
the parasite from one dog to another, dogs are at most risk
during the warmer months. Of course, in areas where there is
little or no winter heartworm can be caught at anytime
during the year.
Even though your dog is being given a heartworm preventative
they should be examined regularly, as no preventative
measures can guarantee a hundred percent success rate. This
should be done twice a year as it takes about six months for
the worm to reach maturity at which stage the parasite is at
its most lethal. The test to determine whether your dog is
infected is quite simple. A little blood is drawn and sent
to pathology to check for antibodies that the mature
parasite makes. If it is a new infection it might not be
picked up until a subsequent pathology examination is made.
In the event of a positive result, your vet may decide to
arrange an x-ray or an ultrasound of your dog’s heart to
determine how far the infection has progressed. The presence
of heartworm disease can also be ultimately detected if your
dog develops an erratic heartbeat or has an irregular ECG.
Unfortunately, the treatment of heartworm disease can be
extremely perilous for a dog. An infected dog is injected by
the vet with a highly toxic poison to destroy the parasites.
The dog has to be closely monitored over a number of days
and in some instances repeat injections may be needed. The
major worry with heartworm is that all the worms are killed
en masse and clog the coronary arteries causing a cardiac
arrest. Of course, there is also the danger of adverse
reactions to the medication itself.
Like every disease prevention is the best form of cure.
Heartworm preventatives can be readily obtained from your
vet with a prescription. However, before preventative
medication can be prescribed your dog will have to undergo a
blood test to determine that the dog is not infected with
the parasite. Preventative medication can come in pill form
or as a topical application. Many dog owners prefer the pill
as it is flavored and easy to give as a treat or to mix with
a meal. It is important to keep all forms of the medication
well out of reach of your dog to prevent an accidental
overdose.
What is not generally realized is that a course of heartworm
preventive treatment is in fact a scaled down version of the
actual treatment given to a dog suffering the full blown
disease. When your dog receives a course of preventative
treatment, it destroys any larvae that the dog has been
exposed to the previous month before they have had the
chance to mature and attack the heart. It is considered
prudent to give your dog a heartworm preventative all the
year round. Most oral heartworm treatments such as
Heartguard or Interceptor have the added benefit of
destroying a number of other intestinal parasites that you
dog may have picked up.
Of course, it would help if we could reduce the number of
carriers of the parasite. If the area in which you live is
mosquito prone, have your yard sprayed on a regular basis.
Be careful not to leave filled water containers lying around
as they make a perfect environment for breeding mosquitoes.
If your property contains a pond, think about having the
water treated with a suitable insecticide or have a pump put
in to circulate the water. When out walking with your dog
keep away from marshland or areas containing swamps as these
are the main breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
These preventative measures will go a long way to protect
your dog against heartworm this summer. You will not regret
it
