Heartworms and Your Dog: What You Need to Know

You are a responsible pet owner, you take your dog to the vet every year for his annual check up, heartworm test and vaccinations.

During this visit your vet will take a small amount of blood (don't worry, this doesn't hurt) to check for heartworms. Assuming your dog is hearworm free, he (or she) will be started on heartworm preventative - life is well. But what if it isn't?

Do you know exactly what a heartworm is? Do you know why it is so dangerous for your dog? Do you know what kind of treatment is needed if your dog was to test positive? Do you even know how dogs get heartworms?

A heartworm is just that...a worm that lives in the heart of a dog. Specifically, it lives in the right ventricle of the heart. This is where the worms live out their adult lives and breed. This is where they cause the damage.

A small heartworm infestation can go unnoticed for a very long time, especially if the dog is not active. However, in a more active or excitable dog, a heartworm infestation can cause coughing upon exercise or exertion. More sever, untreated cases can result in weight loss, fainting and eventually heart failure.

What causes heartworms in dogs? How do they get it? Mosquitoes. Yup, the annoying little bloodsuckers are the carrier of so many diseases and heartworm is one of them. Since all dogs go outside, even for short periods of time, they are all exposed to mosquitoes and therefore, heartworms.

How, then, do you protect your dog? You have him tested for heartworms and when the vet gives him the all clear, you start him on heartworm preventative.

This is a once a month medication that is designed to kill any heartworm larvae that are in the blood. It DOES NOT stop the dog from contracting heartworms from mosquitoes, but it does stop the larvae from maturing and breeding.

What happens if, at that yearly check up, your vet finds that your dog has a case of heartworms? This is a very tricky disease to treat and treatment will depend on several factors including the age and health of the dog and the amount of hearworm infestation.

Your vet will prescribe a course of treatment that is the best fit for your dog and his personal situation. This can be anything from continuing the monthly preventative (to kill the new larvae) to treating your dog with arsenic (the only known killer of adult heartworms).

Heartworm treatment is not an easy or pleasant process for your dog to go through. It can make them sick and weak. Some dogs may not even survive this.

Do your dog a favor. Do yourself a favor. Have your dog tested and treated for heartworms every single month, every single year.