WHEN IT COMES TO HEARTWORMS
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE!
I live in the mountains, do I need to worry about heartworms?
Although we mountain-dwellers have not had to worry too much about heartworm disease in the past, with the influx of dogs from other areas and the increase of heartworm disease nationwide, at Harmony we feel it is safest for our patients to be tested regularly.
What exactly are heartworms?
Heartworms are large worms that live in the hearts of dogs and cats. Dogs are the common host, but they are also found in cats, ferrets, foxes, wolves, sea lions and horses. Humans are not a natural host for heartworms but there have been a few reports of rare cases in humans.
How are heartworms spread? Can my dog get them from other dogs?
Heartworms cannot be spread directly from dog to dog, they need a mosquito to complete their life cycle. A mosquito bites a heartworm-infected animal. The mosquito is then carrying microscopic versions of the heartworm, called microfilariae. When the mosquito bites another dog or cat, that animal is infected with the heartworm microfilariae. Within 70 to 90 days, the microfilariae have made it through the tissues to the animal’s heart, where they reproduce (providing both male and female worms are present) and live for several years. If both sexes of worms are present, they will be producing their own microfilariae within 6 to 7 months after that first mosquito bite. The cycle continues.
What’s the big deal? If my dog gets them, can’t I just give him a pill?
Heartworm disease is potentially fatal and it is very expensive to treat, involving weeks of hospitalization and intensive follow-up care. Treatment for heartworm disease is also very dangerous for your dog and can itself be fatal. In the case of heartworm disease, the old adage, “Prevention is better than cure” is absolutely true! We do not require heartworm testing or prevention, but we do want you to be informed of the risk if you choose not to use preventative with your dog.
What about my cat, do cats get heartworms too?
Cats are more resistant to heartworm disease than dogs, so at this point we are not recommending testing or preventative for mountain-dwellng cats. If you travel with your cat to other states, you may want to revisit this question.
What do you recommend?
At Harmony Animal Wellness, we recommend keeping mountain-dwelling dogs on heartworm preventative during the summer months, when mosquitos are present. If you travel out of state, we recommend keeping your dog on preventative all year round.
We recommend testing every year if your dog is not on preventative, or is only on it during the summer. If your dog is on year-round preventative, we recommend testing every 2 years, as we are all human and monthly doses do get missed on occasion. We will not prescribe medication to a dog that has not been tested, as it is not safe to give preventative to a dog with heartworm disease.
