PUBLISHED OCT. 20, 2016
Heartworm disease in dogs easily preventable, but on the rise
By LOIS KINDLE
LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Veterinarian Hal Ott, owner of Ruskin Animal Hospital, wants area pet owners to help stamp out heartworm disease, which is prevalent in dogs throughout South Shore.
Veterinarian Hal Ott, owner of Ruskin Animal Hospital, wants area pet owners to help stamp out heartworm disease.
Unfortunately, the disease is all too common, and if not caught in its early stages can cause a pet great suffering and even death. Ott said it has a “high prevalence rate in the South Shore area, but it’s one that’s both preventable and treatable.”
Having recently returned from an international triennial symposium on heartworm disease in New Orleans, which was attended by 400 veterinarians and human healthcare professionals from 13 countries and 29 states, Ott learned that despite “extremely safe and effective preventative medications, heartworm disease continues to be on the rise in every state throughout the nation.”
Heartworm larvae is transmitted from infected dogs to healthy dogs by mosquitoes. According to the American Heartworm Society, more than 1 million dogs are infected with adult heartworms at any given time.
“All breeds and sizes of dogs, even puppies and those that live indoors, can get heartworms,” Ott said. “They are natural hosts and mosquitoes — the vectors — don’t discriminate. One mosquito bite is all it takes.”
AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY PHOTO
This is what adult heartworms look like when they develop from larvae transmitted from a sick dog to a healthy one. Once they invade the pulmonary artery, heart and lungs, the worms cause inflammation and hypertension, block the flow of blood and result in severe lung disease, heart failure and even death.
In the early stages after a healthy dog is bitten, there generally are no symptoms, so the pet can look perfectly healthy. But over a period of time, usually within six months and over a period of years, spaghetti-like, foot-long worms become present in the pulmonary arteries, heart and lungs. They cause inflammation and hypertension, Ott said, basically blocking the flow of blood and resulting in severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs.
It can take several years for the symptoms to become obvious, he continued. These include a persistent mild cough, decreased appetite, breathlessness, vomiting, fatigue and weight loss.
The American Heartworm Society reports that if left untreated, “heartworm disease causes lasting damage to the heart, lungs and arteries, and can affect the dog’s health and quality of life long after the parasites are gone. For this reason, prevention is by far the best option, and treatment, when needed, should be administered as early in the course of the disease as possible.
And sometimes it’s too late.
AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY PHOTO
A dog gets a simple blood test for heartworms to make sure it’s safe for it to go on monthly preventatives. Cats can also get heartworm disease but it’s not as common, nor is it curable once established.
“In dogs, it can be a very slow, painful death,” Ott said.
But there is good news.
Heartworm disease can be totally prevented through annual blood testing and monthly oral or topical preventative meds, including Heartgard Plus, Sentinel, Trifexis, Revolution and Tri-Heart Plus.
Like most vets, Ott strongly recommends the annual test be administered before any preventative is given and follow up each year thereafter.
The medications are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased from any local brick-and-mortar veterinary practice; low-cost mobile vet clinics like About Pets Inc. or visiting veterinarians at area retailers, including Pet Supermarket, Walgreen’s and Adogable Pet Grooming; or online veterinary pharmacy. Again, owners should get their pets heartworm-tested by a veterinarian before providing preventative meds.
Ott said heartworm disease primarily affects dogs, but it can also be transmitted to cats and other mammals. Heartworm symptoms in cats can be treated, but there is no cure, he said.
“Even humans bitten by a mosquito carrying the larvae can get them, but it’s highly unusual,” he said.
Once a dog has heartworms, treatment can be quite expensive, from $800 to $1,200, depending on the veterinarian and treatment options. So in this case, “an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure.” And that’s not to mention the potential trauma the pet has to endure while it’s being treated.
For additional information on heartworms and heartworm disease prevention, visit heartwormsociety.org.
