What is Heartworm Disease ?

Heartworm Disease



What Is Heartworm Disease?

Heartworm Medical terms: Microfilaria, Pulmonary vessels, Heartworm-endemic areas,

Pulmonary embolus, Pulmonary thrombus

Heartworm Disease is caused by a worm that is carried by mosquitoes. Inside the

mosquito’s body, the tiny worm is called a

microfilaria. The microfilaria is injected into the

pet’s body when the mosquito bites and sucks

blood. Your pet’s blood transports the microfilaria

to its heart and through the heart to the blood

vessels in the lungs (pulmonary vessels). Protected

within the heart and pulmonary vessels, the

heartworm matures to adulthood and grows to be

several inches long. As an adult, the heartworm is

able to breed with other heartworms and produce microfilaria. These tiny microfilaria are

picked up by blood-sucking mosquitoes and carried to other pets where they can be

injected under the skin and migrate to the heart.





Who Gets Heartworm Disease?

Dogs and cats get Heartworm Disease. Heartworm Disease has been diagnosed in all 50

states and is most concentrated in the eastern United States, the southern United States,

and near Midwestern river valleys, including areas along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.

Pets that live outdoors are at the most risk for heartworm disease although in a North

Carolina study, 28 percent of the cats diagnosed with heartworm were inside-only cats.

This is because while outside pets are more suppectible to mosquitoes, mosquitoes can

also get inside your home and deliver the one bite necessary to spread the disease.

Heartworm Vet Tip: Don’t assume that a pet living indoors who never goes outside is

not exposed to heartworm-carrying mosquitoes. Pets that live in apartments that don’t

even go outside to go potty have developed Heartworm Disease. It’s wise to protect all

pets in heartworm-endemic areas.





Heartworm Disease & Heartworm Medications

Heartworm disease affects both dogs and cats coast-to-coast in the United States, yet only

55% of dogs and only 25% of cats are currently on preventative heartworm medication,

leaving over 60 million US pets vulnerable to the disease. To make matters worse, warmer

temperatures across the country may extend the range and number of mosquitoes, which

pass the heartworm disease, potentially increasing the risk. However, simple monthly

heartworm preventatives can virtually eliminate the risk of your pet developing the

disease.

Heartworms Signs & Symptoms

Pets with Heartworm disease often cough. They find it difficult to exert themselves and

don’t enjoy exercise. Most pets lose weight, and some develop episodes of fainting. As the

disease worsens, cats develop asthma-like symptoms and their hearts enlarge. Dogs

experience heart failure so that blood cannot return to the heart and backs up in the liver.







Heartworm Treatment

Treating Heartworm:

1. Serious Heartworm infection

2. Mild Heartworm infection



1. Serious Heartworm infection

There are two ways to treat Heartworm Disease. If the disease is severe, your pet is

hospitalized and given heaetworm medicine such as an injection of melarsomine (Rx)

(brand name--Immiticide) to kill the adult worms. A second injection of melarsomine is

given 24 hours later. This treatment is effective but harsh. Some pets develop a severe

lung reaction to the dying worms, which is why they must be hospitalized for the

Heartworm treatment. In addition to developing an allergic reaction, some pets will be

harmed as dead worms drift through the blood vessels and actually plug them. The plug

prevents blood from reaching the cells and this causes cells to die. When material floats

through a vessel in the lungs, we call it a pulmonary embolus. When the material stops

and plugs up a blood vessel in the lungs, we call the material a pulmonary thrombus.

It can be especially dangerous to give Interceptor to your pet if it has a large number of

heartworms because Interceptor immediately kills heartworms. It’s the pet’s reaction to a

large number of dying heartworms that can be fatal. Heartgard provides a slower, safer kill

of adult worms, but is not FDA-approved for use in heartworm-positive dogs. Revolution is

approved for use in heartworm-positive dogs. Your veterinarian will decide which is the

best Heartworm treatment for your pet. . See the advantages of different Heartworm

medications here



2. Mild Heartworm infection

The second treatment is for pets that have only a very mild Heartworm infection.

These pets are given a Heartworm medicines such as Heartgard or Iverhart every

month for two years. Often the Heartworm medication is begun at half the normal

dose, then increased. This form of treatment does not kill the adult worms, but kills the

tiny offspring, the microfilaria. If all the microfilaria die, and over a couple years the

adults die, your pet will then be free of Heartworm Disease.





Diagnosis of Heartworm Disease

Heartworm Disease is diagnosed with blood tests and X-rays. Blood tests are helpful in 3

ways: they can show tiny microfilaria, the presence of proteins from the adult worms, or

the presence of immune antibodies indicating the pet has been stimulated to attack the

heartworms. Some pets have blood tests that also show a high level of eosinophils, the

type of white blood cell that is elevated in the presence of allergies or parasites.

X-rays diagnose Heartworm Disease by revealing an unusually large heart that is

expanded on the right side—because it is full of worms. The vessels to the lungs are also

unusual: enlarged and tortuous. In some pets, x-rays show an allergic reaction throughout

the lungs that is caused by the heartworms.

Why is a blood test necessary? Can’t I just put my pet on Heartworm medication?

Heartworm medication requires an annual test and a prescription because this medication

has the potential to harm—even kill—a pet that is already infected with heartworms.





Protecting Your Dog or Cat Against Heartworms Disease

These are some of the potentially dangerous symptoms of heartworm disease that can

occur in pets:

 Mild to severe coughing

 Loss of appetite

 Weight loss despite regular eating habits

 Fatigue

 Loss of breath (gasping for air)

If your pet has any of these symptoms, you should visit your veterinarian. Your

veterinarian can perform a simple blood test to determine if your pet has heartworm

disease.

Help prevent your pet from developing heartworm disease by following these 3 easy

steps:



1. Provide year-round prevention against heartworms.

You cannot predict when or where your pet will be exposed to heartworm-carrying

mosquitoes, so do not skip a month.



The American Heartworm Society reports that pets are diagnosed with heartworms in all

50 states throughout the year (even in winter).



2. Kill mosquitoes.

Infected mosquitoes inject heartworm larvae when they bite your dog's skin. By killing

mosquitoes before they can bite, you may help decrease your dog's chance of contracting

the disease.





3. Schedule heartworm exams.

Regularly scheduled heartworm exams are necessary to make sure your pet has not

contracted heartworm disease, even with prevention.



The Importance of Heartworm Preventatives

If your dog or cat is not on a monthly heartworm preventative, the risks of contracting this

potentially fatal disease are significantly increased. It takes only one heartworm-carrying

mosquito to infect your pet. Worst of all, adult heartworms can survive in dogs for up to

seven years, and in cats they may survive from a few months up to several years.

Help reduce your dog's or cat's risk for contracting heartworm disease by following these

simple steps:



1. Have your pet tested annually.

Despite monthly prevention, there are reported instances where pets are infected with

heartworms. As a result, consistent testing by your veterinarian is one of the best ways to

ensure your pet remains heartworm free. For pets that contract heartworm disease,

conventional treatment usually requires ongoing, expensive visits to the veterinarian office

for x-rays, blood work, and injections.



Although there are heartworm treatments available for dogs, there can be serious risks

involved depending on your dog's health at the time of diagnosis. For dogs with severe

heartworm disease, treatment may be too harsh on the respiratory system, in that case

your veterinarian will determine the best treatment plan for your pet.



Although it's estimated 95% of dogs diagnosed with heartworms are treated successfully,

there is currently no effective and safe medical treatment for cats infected with

heartworm disease.



2. Give monthly heartworm prevention.

If your veterinarian's tests do not show a presence of adult heartworms, it's likely your vet

will recommend a monthly heartworm preventative. It's important to consistently give your

pet heartworm medication at the same time each month, as this may considerably reduce

your pet's risk of disease.



The American Heartworm Society reports pets being diagnosed with heartworm disease

throughout the year (even in winter) in all 50 states. Practicing monthly prevention can

help reduce your pet's risk of infection.



In addition, some heartworm preventatives may also protect against other worms such as

roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms.

(See individual product package for full details)









Heartgard Plus Revolution Iverhart Plus Interceptor





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