What You Should Know: Preventing Heartworm in Your Pet

Our pets are important to us, which is why we need to know about the infections, diseases, and problems they can have. There are many different ailments our pets may suffer from in just the worm category. Heartworm is one of them. A heartworm is a parasitic disease that usually affects dogs, cats, and ferrets. Heartworm can be found in most geographical locations, anywhere a mosquito will live. Although studies have shown that Alaska does not have heartworms. In order to recognize the affects the heartworm has on animals we will go into details of transmission, symptoms, warning signs, and prevention.

Transmission of Heartworms

Mosquitoes transmit heartworms. A mosquito will bite the flesh of an infected animal, thereby picking up the parasite. Once the mosquito has obtained the parasite, baby heartworms called microfilariae will start to grow in the mosquito. As we are all aware a mosquito is a breeding ground for a lot of different diseases including human infections. So it should come as no surprise that the heartworms will remain in a mosquito for up to two weeks. The larvae, a stage of the heartworms, will then be injected into another animal when the mosquito bites it.

Signs & Symptoms

Your pet will rarely show signs in the first few months of infection. It can take up to six months for symptoms to occur. The first three months is typically when the larvae migrate to the animal's blood stream until they reach the lungs. The last three months give the larvae time to mature to adulthood, which is when they will enter the heart. Once the in the heart the heartworms will begin to cause respiratory distress, coughing, vomiting, and loss of appetite.

Dogs: The heartworms can live 5 to 7 years in a dog. Your dog will be affected by the heartworms causing heavy breathing leading to respiratory distress, lethargy, and loss of appetite. This can lead to congestive heart failure. Other symptoms include a distended stomach, dull coat, and trouble exercising.

Cats: Heartworms in cats live 2 to 5 years. You cat will show signs of respiratory distress, coughing, and vomiting. Once the cat enters respiratory distress it will lead to congestive heart failure.

Prevention

First you should have your pet regularly tested for heartworm disease. Once your pet is infected it is very difficult to treat the animal. In dogs you can provide treatment to kill the adult heartworms. Cats, however, are rarely treatable because the medications are not effective or safe. So you will want to have your animal tested for heartworm disease by having a simple blood test performed. Once you find that your animal is not infected the veterinarian can prescribe medication for prevention. Heartgard, Interceptor, and ProHeart are three medications you can give your pet as preventative measures. They can either be in pill form or chewable tablets. You will want to give the medication monthly during the mosquito season in your area.

Protecting our pets from potential disease is very important. Taking the time to learn about the different diseases and infections like heartworms will help you prevent your pet from becoming ill.