DOG HEALTH NOTES - heartworm disease
Flipper, shown here, is a young male who is high heartworm positive, as are about 12% - 15% of the dogs we get as strays, from shelters, and from owner surrenders. We are praying he'll survive the damage done to his heart and pulmonary arteries, and the difficult treatment he has to undergo.
Please take a few minutes to read about heartworm disease and how to prevent it. Heartworms are deadly and are endemic in many US areas, including the Gulf Coast - but heartworm disease is completely preventable with a monthly heartworm prophylaxis product, such as those listed in the chart below. Heartworm medicine must be administered year-round. It is critical for your dog's health that testing be done by a veterinarian before beginning a heartworm program, and repeated annually. For example, if a dog is high heartworm positive, it is not safe to administer Sentinel, Sentinel Plus or Trifexis.
Please take a few minutes to read about heartworm disease and how to prevent it. Heartworms are deadly and are endemic in many US areas, including the Gulf Coast - but heartworm disease is completely preventable with a monthly heartworm prophylaxis product, such as those listed in the chart below. Heartworm medicine must be administered year-round. It is critical for your dog's health that testing be done by a veterinarian before beginning a heartworm program, and repeated annually. For example, if a dog is high heartworm positive, it is not safe to administer Sentinel, Sentinel Plus or Trifexis.
Heartworms can grow to several inches in length, and live in pulmonary arteries or even the heart ventricle. The body's inflammatory response causes blood clots, and the blood flow is lessened by the volume displaced by worms. Heartworms reproduce with live births, called microfilariae, which are released into the bloodstream.
In order for a dog to develop heartworm disease, it must be infected with microfilariae that are passed through a mosquito bite. In other words, a mosquito bites an infected dog, picking up microfilariae, and then transmits them to another dog through another bite.
Heartworm prevention products kill the microfilariae that get transmitted in the mosquito bite. Ivermectin products are also able to kill younger adult heartworms. Heartworm treatment is slow and painful, and requires the dog to be kept confined for 4 weeks.
Heartworm tests look for microfilariae or adult worm proteins, so it takes 5-7 months from exposure to get a valid reading. That is why it is not possible to get a valid test result on puppies before about 7 months of age.
In order for a dog to develop heartworm disease, it must be infected with microfilariae that are passed through a mosquito bite. In other words, a mosquito bites an infected dog, picking up microfilariae, and then transmits them to another dog through another bite.
Heartworm prevention products kill the microfilariae that get transmitted in the mosquito bite. Ivermectin products are also able to kill younger adult heartworms. Heartworm treatment is slow and painful, and requires the dog to be kept confined for 4 weeks.
Heartworm tests look for microfilariae or adult worm proteins, so it takes 5-7 months from exposure to get a valid reading. That is why it is not possible to get a valid test result on puppies before about 7 months of age.
| heartworm_products_chart.xlsx |