A key component of every pet’s wellness and preventative care routine should always be parasite prevention, which includes protecting pets from heartworms and the disease they cause: Heartworm Disease.
5 Things You Should Know About Heartworms
Heartworms Cause Permanent Damage to the Heart and Lungs:
Pets get infested when they are bitten by infected mosquitos carrying immature worms called heartworm larvae.
The worms travel through the blood, mature, and get lodged in the blood vessels of the lungs.
When enough heartworms get lodged in the lungs, they damage the heart and lungs and cause respiratory symptoms.
This is called Heartworm Disease, and if not treated, it can be fatal.
Prevention is Key:
Heartworm infestation is easily preventable with monthly heartworm preventative medications.
The American Heartworm Society recommends protecting pets year-round and not just during mosquito season, as continuous protection is the only way to ensure your pet is never exposed to heartworms.
These preventatives are 99% effective when used appropriately.
Treating Heartworm Disease:
Prevention is best, but if your dog tests positive, the treatment and outcome depend on the severity of their symptoms.
For dogs with no or minimal symptoms, treatment outcomes are usually good.
Treatment involves a multi-month plan of oral and injectable medications that must be given according to very strict guidelines.
For symptomatic dogs, the damage to the heart and lungs may be too advanced, and treatment may not be effective.
Heartworm Preventatives Require a Prescription:
Administering a preventative medication to an animal that has already been infested can be detrimental in some cases.
For this reason, heartworm preventatives are only available with a prescription from a veterinarian.
If you have missed more than 2 months of preventative administration, it is best to call and speak to a veterinarian before restarting the preventatives.
Dogs Should Be Screened Annually:
Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital recommends screening dogs annually for heartworm infestation, even if they don’t have symptoms of Heartworm Disease.
Treatment outcomes are much more favorable if started before symptoms occur.
The screening involves a simple blood test that looks for evidence of the parasites in your dog’s blood.
