Heartworm disease is a life-threatening condition seen in La Pine dogs, ferrets and cats. In today's post, our vets explain why prevention is far better than treatment when it comes to heartworm disease.
What is heartworm disease?
Heartworm disease is spread through mosquito bites and is primarily caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis.
Pets including dogs, cats and ferrets may become definitive hosts, meaning that worms live inside the animal, then mature, mate and produce offspring. We call this condition heartworm disease because the worms make their home in the heart, lungs and blood vessels of your infected pet.
What are the symptoms of heartworm disease?
Unfortunately, symptoms of heartworm disease do not appear until the disease has reached more advanced stages. The most common symptoms of heartworm disease include swollen abdomen, coughing, fatigue, weight loss and difficulty breathing.
How does my vet check my pet for heartworms?
Your vet can complete blood tests to detect heartworm proteins (antigens), which are released into the animal's bloodstream. Heartworm proteins can't be detected until about five months (at the earliest) after an animal is bitten by an infected mosquito.
What if my pet is diagnosed with heartworms?
Treatment for heartworm disease varies between cats and dogs. Heartworm treatment is often lengthy, uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for your pet, and expensive for you. This is why we say prevention is the absolute best treatment for heartworm disease.
If your pet is diagnosed with heartworms, your vet will discuss potential treatment options with you. For dogs, an FDA-approved medication (melarsomine dihydrochloride), which contains arsenic, will be given via a series of injections into your dog's back muscles. This treatment option is toxic to cats so your vet will discuss alternative therapies with you.
Heartworms can live in dogs for 5-7 years while in cats typically only live for 2-3.
How can I prevent my pet from getting heartworm disease?
It's important to keep your pet on preventive medication to prevent heartworm disease. Even if they are already on preventive heartworm medication, we recommend that dogs be tested for heartworms annually.
Heartworm prevention is safer, easier and much more affordable than treating the progressed disease. A number of heartworm preventive medications can also help protect against other parasites such as hookworms, whipworms and roundworms.