Pet Care: Things You Need To Know About the Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease causes severe lung disease, heart failure, organ damage, and death in dogs, cats, and ferrets. Dirofilaria immitis, a parasitic worm, causes it. Mosquito bites spread the worms. The dog serves as the definitive host, which means that the worms grow, mate, and reproduce exclusively within the dog. The intermediate host is the mosquito, where the worms reside quickly before becoming infective (able to cause heartworm disease). The adults of the worms dwell in the heart, lungs, and blood arteries of afflicted animals.

What is the heartworm’s life cycle?

The heartworm parasite’s life cycle is intricate, requiring the mosquito as an intermediary host before living in the dog. Mosquitoes transmit heartworm. Up to 30 mosquito species can spread heartworms.

A female mosquito bites an infected dog during a blood meal, ingesting microfilariae. Microfilariae grow for 10-30 days in the mosquito’s intestines before entering its mouthparts. They are infective larvae at this stage and can mature in a dog. When a mosquito bites a dog, infective larvae enter the body.

Where can you find heartworm disease?

Canine heartworm disease is found worldwide. It was once restricted to the southern and southeast regions of the United States. Within 150 miles of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean coasts and along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the highest number of recorded cases remains. The disease, however, is spreading and is already present in the majority of the United States, including California, Oregon, and Washington.

What is the mode of transmission of heartworm disease?

Because transmission requires an intermediate host in the mosquito, the disease is not passed directly from dog to dog. Thus, disease transmission occurs concurrently with mosquito season, continuing all year in many parts of the United States. The number of affected dogs and the duration of the mosquito season is directly proportional to the prevalence of heartworm disease in any given area.

What effect do heartworms have on your dog?

Typically, dogs do not exhibit clinical indications of illness for several years. As a result, the condition is most frequently identified in dogs aged two to eight years. The disease is uncommon in puppies under one year of age, as it takes 5 to 7 months for microfilariae to grow into adult heartworms following infection. Regrettably, the disease is frequently already advanced by the time clinical symptoms manifest. That is why it is advisable to take your pet to places like Park Animal Hospital on a regular basis. 

How is heartworm illness diagnosed?

Simple blood tests can usually detect heartworm illness. Further testing is often required in heartworm-positive dogs to assess treatment safety. Before starting treatment, some or all of the following tests are advised.

Adult heartworm antigens serology. This test uses a blood sample. For more information, see “Testing for Heartworm Disease in Dogs.” Chest x-rays (X-rays). Before starting therapy for heartworm illness, radiographs are often recommended to assess the extent of heart and lung damage. Tests (complete blood cell count, serum biochemistry). Blood testing may be recommended by the best veterinarian simi valley has available before heartworm therapy to assess heartworm-associated organ damage.

How is heartworm disease treated?

Melarsomine dihydrochloride is an arsenic-containing medication that the FDA has licensed to treat adult heartworms in dogs. It is injected deeply into the back muscles of dogs that have stabilized class 1, 2, or 3 heartworm disease. Another FDA-approved medication, Advantage Multi for Dogs (imidacloprid and moxidectin), is used to eliminate microfilariae from a dog’s bloodstream. Click here to learn more on emergency veterinary treatments. 

Prevention Is Always Better Than Cure

Numerous products are FDA-approved for heartworm prevention in dogs. All of these medications require a veterinarian’s prescription. Most products are administered monthly, either as a topical liquid applied directly to the skin or as an oral pill. Oral tablets are available in both chewable and non-chewable forms. A single product is injected under the skin every six to twelve months, and a veterinarian can only administer the injection.