We know you have a lot to think about right now, which is why we wanted to remind you about the importance of keeping your dog protected against heartworm disease. The last thing we want is for you to have something else to worry about. Especially since heartworm disease in dogs is easily preventable with the proper medications.
Heartworm Disease Prevention
When a mosquito infected with heartworm larvae (baby heartworms) bites a dog, the larvae enter the pet through the bite wound. Over the next few months, these tiny worms make their way inside the pet to the heart and lungs, maturing into adult heartworms and causing serious damage to these organs and associated blood vessels.
That’s right, your dog can get heartworms from just a SINGLE mosquito bite!
Living in Florida, we know that mosquitos are a constant. Therefore, we can’t prevent dogs from getting heartworms. But, we can stop these worms from developing into adults and causing harm. There’s a brief window (about 2 months or so after infection) when these baby worms can be killed off. If a heartworm disease preventive is administered during this crucial time, your dog will be protected against heartworm disease.
What If You Miss That Crucial Prevention Window?
If the immature worms are allowed to continue developing inside your dog, they will become resistant to heartworm disease preventives. At that point, treatment will be required to kill the adult worms. But treatment can be difficult, costly, and even deadly.
Untreated, heartworms can grow up to a foot or more in length. And even if they are treated successfully, heartworms can cause lasting damage to a dog’s heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
The best way to protect your dog against heartworm disease is by giving them a heartworm disease preventive regularly.
What Are the Signs of Heartworm Disease in Dogs?
Heartworm disease can cause:
- Coughing or gagging
- Difficulty or rapid breathing
- Fatigue/weakness
- Reluctance to exercise or exercise intolerance
- Swelling in the abdomen
- Weight or appetite loss
- Sudden collapse or death
Heartworms may cause no symptoms, especially in the early stages.
Dogs with a lot of worms can develop caval syndrome, in which a large mass of worms block blood flow through the heart. This life-threatening condition requires surgery and is often deadly.
Why Do we Test for Heartworm Disease?
Annual testing for heartworm disease is essential for all dogs. Even for a dog on year-round preventives, if a dose was accidentally missed or the pet vomited or spit out the medication unnoticed, for instance, the dog might not be protected against heartworm disease. If a preventive is given to a dog who has any adult heartworms, it can be deadly.
What Does Your Jacksonville Vet Recommend to Prevent Heartworm Disease?
Protecting our patients against heartworm disease is a top priority for us. Although heartworm disease can be deadly, it is preventable. It’s also MUCH easier and safer to prevent than to treat.
The temperature around Jacksonville stays warm enough throughout the year that mosquitos remain active and feeding. That’s why we recommend keeping all our canine patients on a heartworm disease preventive year-round. That way, you don’t have to guess when your dog might be susceptible to heartworms, and risk infection.
Our clinics all carry the following heartworm prevention products: Tri-Heart Plus, Heartgard, Sentinel Spectrum, and Trifexis. These major manufacturers also often offer rebates, which we keep updated on the specials page of our website.
Call us if you’re running low on heartworm preventive for your pet or if it’s time to schedule your dog’s next heartworm test. Keeping your pet protected against heartworm disease will give you one less thing to worry about right now.
