Heartworms in Dogs

Archive for January, 2008

Dog owners will be delighted to know that medication is now available for canines affected by heart worm disease thru Heartgard.

Heart worm infection is common on dogs and has affected dogs in neighboring 50 states in the US

Heart worm is a parasite disease transmitted through mosquitoes. Once infected, heart worms live in dogs for about five to seven years. Heart worm disease affects the heart and lungs of the dogs.

This disease is now successfully treated with prescribed medicines as there are approved medicines in the US for these infections.

Heartgard for dogs or Ivermectin was the first drug to be approved in the US to be used in the prevention of heart worm infection.

This drug is prescribed by a licensed veterinarian for use in dogs to prevent heart worm diseases. The drug eliminates the heart worm larvae on its tissue stage and prevents development into adult stage. Heartgard for dogs should be administered within thirty days after it is infected or has been exposed to mosquitoes.

Heartgard for dogs come in chewable form. Dosage will be recommended by the Veterinarian which is usually according to weight and age of the dog. It also comes in color coded packages according to weight prescription.

Trials have shown that Heartgards are acceptable to dogs in chewable forms and was consumed at once when offered to dogs.

Vets have recommended that in administering this drug to the dog, one should observe that the entire necessary dose is chewed, and if necessary, be spread in its food to assure that all bits are taken, and no part is wasted.

Before preventive treatment using Heartgard for dogs is done, the first measure to be initiated by dog owner is to have the dog examined first for possibility of the presence of adult heart worms in its body, because prevention with Heartgard will not be effective.

Presence of adult heart worms must be treated first and should be eliminated before the Heartgard program is initiated. After completion of adult worm treatment, it will take three to six weeks before Heartgard treatment is started.

Heartgard (Ivermectin) has been found to contain the most active ingredient in preventing heart worm disease.

For some dogs, a period of one year preventive treatment has been recommended An example is the recommendation for all Rotweillers in Michigan to undergo said heart worm preventive treatment.

While treatment of canine disease has been successful with the help of veterinary drug and medicines, it has been advised that prevention is a much better alternative aside from being a cheaper and safer measure. As it has always been said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The symptoms manifest slowly. At first, heartworm disease shows zero visibility in its early stage. The young parasite remains dormant in the blood of the dog, just loitering there for the right time. Then, finally, heartworm disease strikes mercilessly, giving the dog traumatic physical changes leading to its most fatal stage.

Heartworm disease starts with the parasite’s larva called microfilariae. The larva stays in the dog. In this stage, the parasite is yet harmless and dormant. It may remain thus for years, waiting to be sucked up and out of the dog by a biting mosquito. Heartworm disease needs this second hosting to fully grow. Once in the mosquito, the larva initially develops into adolescence. Heartworm disease larvae can remain in mosquitoes from 10 days to 6 months, taking longer in cold climates.

When the mosquito bites a dog, the larva is transferred to this dog and signals the full swing development of the larva to maturity, becoming a full-gown heartworm disease. The heartworm can grow to as much as 12 inches long and loop around major organs like the heart, lungs, liver, and intestines. Being parasites, heartworm disease slowly feeds on the innards of the dog. As the heartworm disease worsens (more mature heartworms), the manifestations begin to show. Heartworm disease may render the dog very weak, with extreme difficulty in breathing, weight loss, loss of appetite, and harrowing changes in appearance. By then, any anti heartworm disease treatment will have been futile.

Heartworm disease must be treated before it sets in. The only effective treatment is preventive. Dogs must first be tested for an anti heartworm disease medication (often in flavored pills and chewable). If no allergic reaction occurs, the dog must first be de-wormed. Then the anti heartworm disease treatment starts, supervised by a licensed veterinarian. Mostly, anti heartworm disease drugs are available only from licensed veterinarians. Then the heartworm disease treatment goes on every month for several years.

Remember, the more there are untreated dogs around the more heartworm disease is likely to spread. Heartworm disease proliferates while there are hosts that welcome them, and while these hosts remain vulnerable. Heartworm disease also remains active where mosquitoes abide in abundance. A warm climate is more susceptible to heartworm disease.

Heartworm disease is a deadly pestilence among dogs. It does not show any symptom until everything is too late. Heartworm disease is in its most fatal stage when the heartworms are full grown and have multiplied enough. It’s only remedy is a preventive treatment.