Heartworm disease is a parasitic infection that occurs in dogs and cats which can be fatal. The parasite is a worm called Dirofilaria immitits and it makes its home in the pet's heart causing the pet to become very sick.
How does my pet get heartworms?
Heartworm disease is transmitted to a dog or cat when bitten by an infected mosquito. Mosqitos become carriers when they bite a dog that has heartworm. Young Dirofilaria immitis worm called microfilaria, circulate through the blood vessels of an infected dog and are drawn up with blood when a mosquito bites. The microfilaria mature into larvae, their next growth stage, within the mosquito, and are transmitted to other dogs and cats through the wound produced when the mosquito bites them.
Symptoms of heartworm
The most common symptoms of heartworm include:
Untreated, heartworm disease can seriously damage the heart and possibly cause death.
Prevention is preferred method of treatment. Since the disease is indeed an epidemic and dogs and cats are not immune to mosquito bites, preventative medication is a necessity.
There are several different types of heartworm prevention that may be administered orally once a month, topically once a month or as a 6 month injection for dogs. Call your vet today to see which is best for your pet!
Important!
Before a dog can be put on any preventative medication it is absolutely essential that the pet be tested for the presence of heartworms. Should a dog have heartworms and be given preventative medication it can cause severe side effects or even the pet's death.
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