Heartworm Disease: Protecting Your Pet Against This Deadly Parasite
Heidi Thompson, D.V.M.

Many dog owners are aware of the risks of heartworm disease. If you live in Tidewater, Virginia, the risk is very real. We see many cases of heartworm disease each year. Every year, the numbers seem to be climbing as we welcome new clients to our practice that may not be aware of the disease and its prevention. This article will help point out the importance of protecting your pet against this deadly disease.

Heartworms are parasites that live in the arteries that bring blood from the heart to the lungs. When there are a lot of worms present, sometimes they cannot fit into the arteries, so they will back up into the heart, hence the name "heartworm". The presence of these worms can cause an obstruction to the flow of blood to the lungs. If the blood can't get to the lungs, it cannot get vitally important oxygen. The heart has to work especially hard to squeeze the blood past the worms in the arteries and may fail. The tissue surrounding the worms becomes very inflammed, and may cause lung damage as well. Heartworms can even affect other organs... some animals may die of kidney failure because the inflammation caused by the heartworms can clog the filtration process. So, you can see that heartworms can be very dangerous to your pet, and can even cause death.

Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes that carry the larval stage of the worm. When an infective mosquito bites, it injects this microscopic larva into the bloodstream of your pet. Over a period of 6 months, this larva will grow into a spaghetti sized adult worm that lives in the pulmonary arteries.

Mosquitoes are a very big problem in this area because we're so close to water and our climate is ideal. Even if your pet is exclusively indoors, mosquitoes can sneak inside. So no one escapes the risk of the disease.

Although dogs are considered the ideal host for heartworm, cats can get them too! In fact, we're seeing more and more heartworm disease in cats every year. The bad news is it's difficult to test for and if cats do get infected, they are more at risk from dying than a dog. What's worse is that treatment for heartworm in an infected cat is dangerous and often not effective. This is why heartworm prevention in cats is becoming more and more important.

Preventing heartworms is very easy... there are several products available. The most common choice by our clients is a pill given once a month. Because mosquito season is so unpredictable in this area, we recommend prevention all year round. We will recommend testing for dogs once a year, when they come in for their yearly check up and vaccines. This test is important... even if you've been vigilant about giving the preventative. Some dogs (unbeknownst to their owners) can spit pills out or vomit and go unprotected. Giving preventative to a heartworm positive dog can be dangerous, so schedule a heartworm test for your dog prior to starting the prevention.

Dogs that test positive can be treated if the disease isn't too advanced. If the blood test is positive, the doctor will discuss with you the course of treatment. Even though a treatment is available, it should not be an excuse not to use prevention. Treatment is expensive, and has associated risks.

Prevention is the way to go!
Please feel free to call the clinic at (757) 482-9410 if you have any further questions regarding heartworm disease, or you can email us at [email protected].

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If you have any specific questions, feel free
to email us at [email protected].

Please allow up to a week for a response. If you need to speak with a staff member immediately, call the clinic at (757) 482-9410.

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