Heartworm disease is a dangerous but preventable condition that can seriously impact your pet’s health. Understanding how it spreads, the risks it poses, and the importance of prevention can help keep your furry friend safe.
What Is Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms that live in the heart and blood vessels that supply blood to the lungs of infected animals.
Pets can contract heartworm disease from mosquitoes that are infected with heartworm parasites. When an infected mosquito bites an uninfected dog, it injects the immature worms into the tissue of the animal through its saliva.
Once injected, the immature worms develop, migrating to the lungs and potentially the heart, where they mature into adults and begin to reproduce. These worms can grow to a length of 15–30 centimetres, and in severe cases, a dog may be infested with hundreds of worms.
Mature worms produce thousands of larvae that can then be spread to other dogs or cats by mosquitoes.
The infestation can result in damage to the heart, lungs, and liver. The pet may die as a result of severe damage to the internal organs.
Heartworm is a disease that poses a serious threat to pets in Canada and the United States, and especially to dogs. The good news is that it can be easily prevented through regular testing and the use of preventive medication.
What Happens If My Pet Tests Positive for Heartworm?
Treatment for heartworm disease is available, but it is costly and is not without dangers. Treatment involves a series of injections to kill the adult worms, and then a treatment to kill the immature worms in the bloodstream.
Prevention Is the Key!
Heartworm can be easily prevented in Ontario. Your veterinarian will begin by taking a sample of your dog’s blood, sending it to a lab where they look for the presence of adult parasites. Ideally, this test should be done yearly.
If your dog is not infected, a preventive program should be started. The preventive program involves giving the dog a pill or applying a solution to the skin once a month during mosquito season, which (in Ontario) typically runs from June to November.
This medication destroys the immature heartworms transmitted by mosquitoes and stops the cycle of the parasites.
With the safe and affordable heartworm preventives available today, no pet should ever have to endure this dreaded disease—and most heartworm preventatives include flea prevention!