One of the most prevalent diseases seen in dogs in this area since I got involved in rescue almost nine years ago is heartworms. It is also one, that in early stages, may not show many signs, in late stages, has very serious, painful symptoms that can be fatal without treatment, and can be prevented for under $10 a month. As you can tell from the graph, the treatment that is recommended by the American Heartworm Society, (we will discuss the differences and why in a few) is very expensive so I guess my question is why do we see so very many dogs test positive for heartworms?
Is it lack of education? Do people not believe it exists? I know people who say they truly care about their dog, and yet have not given preventive and have been shocked when their dog tested positive, so I am not sure of the reason why, but lets delve into how dogs get heartworms, what happens and why we as their guardians need to give them that monthly pill ( or that six month injection) to prevent this horrible disease.
Dogs are natural hosts for heartworms. Heartworms can live inside a dog, mature, reproduce offspring. Once mature, a heartworm can live five to seven years inside a dog. Untreated, dogs can harbor several hundred heartworms in their body, having adverse effects of the heart, lungs, and arteries.
‘When a mosquito bites and takes a blood meal from an infected animal, it picks up these baby worms, which develop and mature into “infective stage” larvae over a period of 10 to 14 days. Then, when the infected mosquito bites another dog, cat, or susceptible wild animal, the infective larvae are deposited onto the surface of the animal’s skin and enter the new host through the mosquito’s bite wound. Once inside a new host, it takes approximately 6 months for the larvae to mature into adult heartworms. Once mature, heartworms can live for 5 to 7 years in dogs.’ ( American Heartworm Society)
Can you tell if you dog has heartworms? Unless advanced stages, probably not. Many times in early stages there are not many visible signs. I can say that after nine years, many times, when we pick up a dog that has been living outside his/her entire life, not been on prevention, and sometimes has a swollen abdomen ( when we first started the rescue, we thought a few female dogs might be pregnant and it turned out to be heartworms)I now will make the statement, I bet the dog will be heartworm positive, and 9 out of 10 times, the dog is. As the disease progresses, if you are interacting with your dog you may notice a mild persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, fatigue after moderate activity, decreased appetite, and weight loss. Dogs may develop heart failure and the appearance of a swollen belly due to excess fluid in the abdomen. Dogs with large numbers of heartworms can develop a sudden blockages of blood flow within the heart leading to a life-threatening form of cardiovascular collapse. This is called caval syndrome, and is marked by a sudden onset of labored breathing, pale gums, and dark bloody or coffee-colored urine. Without prompt surgical removal of the heartworm blockage, few dogs survive.
PLEASE REMEMBER ALL OF THE ABOVE CAN BE PREVENTED BY A MONTHLY PILL OR A SIX MONTH INJECTION!!
Get Your Dog Tested!
From the American Heartworm Society:
. All dogs should be tested annually for heartworm infection, and this can usually be done during a routine visit for preventive care. Following are guidelines on testing and timing:
- Puppies under 7 months of age can be started on heartworm prevention without a heartworm test (it takes at least 6 months for a dog to test positive after it has been infected), but should be tested 6 months after your initial visit, tested again 6 months later and yearly after that to ensure they are heartworm-free.
- Adult dogs over 7 months of age and previously not on a preventive need to be tested prior to starting heartworm prevention. They, too, need to be tested 6 months and 12 months later and annually after that.
- If there has been a lapse in prevention (one or more late or missed doses), dogs should be tested immediately, then tested again six months later and annually after that.
Annual testing is necessary, even when dogs are on heartworm prevention year-round, to ensure that the prevention program is working. Heartworm medications are highly effective, but dogs can still become infected. If you miss just one dose of a monthly medication—or give it late—it can leave your dog unprotected. Even if you give the medication as recommended, your dog may spit out or vomit a heartworm pill—or rub off a topical medication. Heartworm preventives are highly effective, but not 100 percent effective. If you don’t get your dog test, you won’t know your dog needs treatment.
Oh No… My Dog Tested Positive!
The question comes up many times about how to treat. As a rescue, we treat per the guidelines of the American Heartworm Society . Only one drug, melarsomine, has been approved by the FDA to treat heartworms in dogs. While there are risks involved, most adult heartworms are eliminated within 1 to 3 months. Cage rest, restricted exercise decreased the chances of complications from the treatment. Per the American Heartworm Society, ” Long-term, continuous use of heartworm preventives alone to treat heartworm infections, however, is not recommended as an alternative to melarsomine, because it is well documented that additional damage to the heart and lungs occurs the longer adult heartworms are present.”
IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!
Once again, it is your responsibility as a dog mom or dad to make sure your dog has preventive. You can purchase them in a single dose each month from the vets office, you can buy them in packs of three months, six months, or 12 months. You can get your vet to write a prescription and order from a website if you can find a better price. Regardless it is still less than $10 a month to prevent your dog from having a horrible disease and possibly suffering a painful death.
Need More Information, Check out the following:
https://d3ft8sckhnqim2.cloudfront.net/images/pdf/HeartwormTreatmentGuide_PetOwner.Color.pdf?1418599065
https://www.heartwormsociety.org/about
