Overview of Heartworms in Dogs
With warm winter temperatures and large amounts of rainfall in the U.S., 2017 will be a record-breaking year for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are annoying blood-sucking insects that cause heartworm disease in dogs (and cats) too. Learning about heartworm disease in dogs and heartworm prevention can prepare you when the mosquitoes come out.
How Does a Dog Get Heartworms?
Dogs get heartworms from heartworm-infected mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites a heartworm-infected mammal, such as another dog, this mosquito is now infected with heartworm microfilaria (tiny heartworms). When this mosquito bites your dog, it then passes the microfilaria into your dog’s bloodstream. This process happens at an alarming rate. In mosquito-prone areas, thousands of dogs are diagnosed with heartworm disease every year, which is why heartworm prevention is so important.
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What Do Heartworms Look Like?
Heartworms are thin spaghetti-like worms that live inside your dog’s heart valves. As they multiply and grow, heartworms block vital blood flow. Many years ago, while working as a veterinary technician, we performed a necropsy on a dog that had passed away from heartworms. Our veterinarian pulled at least 30 heartworms from the small dog’s heart with each worm measuring 10-12 inches long.
Can Dogs Die From Heartworm Disease?
Without heartworm prevention, heartworms are fatal. Additionally, symptoms of heartworm disease in dogs don’t show up until the later stages. Many pet owners assume monthly heartworm prevention is too expensive and instead opt to complete heartworm treatment if their dogs contract these nasty worms. However, heartworm treatment is extremely expensive and can be dangerous.
For a medium-sized dog, heartworm treatment can cost more than $1,000. When dogs undergo heartworm treatment, they must be under close veterinarian supervision and follow stringent crate rest requirements. As heartworms die from treatment, the potential to cause further complications is huge.
How are Dogs Tested for Heartworms?
Veterinarians take a small sample of your dog’s blood during his or her yearly checkup. If heartworms are present, a SNAP test will indicate a positive result. Some veterinarians will then look at the dog’s blood sample for active microfilariae under a microscope. Under microscopic magnification, microfilariae look like tiny bits of rice moving around within the blood sample.
Heartworm Prevention
Heartworm prevention is key. Most dogs ingest a monthly heartworm preventive that kills any microfilaria present. To prevent missed doses, it’s important to give heartworm medicine at the same time each month. When choosing a heartworm preventive, discuss all options with your veterinarian first. Puppies will start heartworm prevention around 4-6 months of age and continue for life.
During early morning and dusk hours, keep your dog indoors to decrease mosquito bites. Additionally, some flea preventives also repel mosquitoes. If you live in mosquito-prone areas, as your vet about a year-long heartworm preventive. It’s worth spending $10 to keep these nasty and fatal worms away.
As temperatures warm up and rain falls, expect mosquitoes soon!
