We have all been told by our Veterinarians that our pets need to be on heartworm prevention, but have they explained to you why? As a technician I get asked a lot of questions and this is a big one. Many owners do not think that it is necessary for them to have their pets on prevention and that their pets will be fine. Throughout this article, I am going to discuss the importance of why we as owners should be making sure our pets are more protected.

The first thing that we need to discuss is what is exactly is a Heartworm? How does my pet get it? What does it do? Heartworm is a mosquito-borne disease that can affect dogs and cats. The disease is spread from an infected mosquito to a host (dog or cat) by feeding off of the animal. When the mosquito penetrates the skin, the disease then migrates through the subcutaneous layer of the host. In this layer of skin, is where the larvae of the disease will then go through its last stage before becoming an adult worm. The larvae will migrate into the pulmonary arties and will spill over into the right ventricle of the heart. The adult stage then takes place here and the male and female heartworms will breed causing the cycle to start all over but this time inside your pets heart. As the worm grows inside the heart, it makes the heart function slow down and cause many issues not only with the heart function but throughout your entire pets body.

Now that you understand a little bit about what it is and how it gets into your pets body, I bet the next question on your mind is “How do I know if my pet has it? What are the signs I should watch for?” Like I mentioned before dogs and cats can get this disease (along with ferrets but not as likely) so the clinical signs are going to be a little different for the different species. Dogs are the most common cases found and as the disease progresses your dog may experience weight loss, a decrease in wanting to exercise and they may possess a cough. In the more advanced cases your pet may have a fever, dyspnea (difficulty breathing), cyanosis (bluish color of mucous membranes due to lack of blood flow), ascites (fluid build up in the abdominal cavity), or your pet may periodically collapse. In cats they can have sporadic vomiting or show mild signs of respiratory issues such as a chronic cough. They may also develop signs of ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) and they can also suddenly die.

If your pet presents any of these clinical signs, especially more than one, it is best to have blood work done, a radiograph taken, or have an ultrasound. These will help your Veterinarian determine the diagnoses of your pet. So what do you do if your pet tests positive for Heartworms? The treatment for dogs depends on the stage but your veterinarian will have to prescribe a drug of their choice that will suit your pets’ needs but along with the medicine, cage rest during the treatment is crucial. The less stress that is put on the heart, the better it will be for your pet and help in the healing process. Many Veterinarians will also require/recommend that your pet stay on cage rest for up to 1 month, this is also critical for your pet to not over do. There is not an effective treatment in cats so they treat the very best they can when a positive case arises.

So now I hope you understand how important it is to have your pets on prevention for heartworm. This is a simple task that we as owners can do to help our pets live longer and healthier lives. Talk with your veterinarian today and find out what Heartworm prevention your pets should be on. I hope you enjoyed this article and I hope you will follow the rest of our summer tips as the heat of the summer continues to get closer.