Heartworm Disease Affects All Dogs

April represents National Heartworm Awareness Month, and for good reason. Heartworm disease is a serious disease found throughout the entire United States affecting both dogs and cats. Heartworm disease, a parasitic infection spread by mosquitoes, affects any dog. These include young, old, male, female, indoor, and outdoor dogs. Heartworm larvae circulate within the blood. Adult heartworms live for years within the heart, clogging blood vessels and interfering with the heart valves. As a result, the damage is caused to the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, and liver.

When is Heartworm Season?

Heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states. Because infected mosquitoes can come inside, both outdoor and indoor pets are at risk. For that reason, the American Heartworm Society recommends that you “think 12:” (1) get your pet tested every 12 months for heartworm and (2) give your pet heartworm preventive 12 months a year.

Signs & Symptoms

Dogs infected with heartworm disease in the early stages show little to no symptoms until eventually, the infection persists. In that case, look for these signs:

  • reluctance to exercise.
  • a soft, dry cough.
  • shortness of breath.
  • weakness.
  • fatigue after moderate activity.
  • decreased appetite.
  • weight loss.

Heartworm Disease Prevention & Treatment

Prevention is the best medicine since it can be very difficult and expensive to treat infected dogs. No treatment currently exists for cats. Heartworm preventative medications kill immature worms and prevent them from maturing into adults that cause illness. For this reason, you give preventive medications continuously every 30 days to kill the existing larvae, and cannot kill adult worms. All heartworm medications require a prescription from your veterinarian, for the purpose of annual blood testing to be sure your pet is not infected. This is including dogs already given prevention year-round. Preventative medications are highly effective, but dogs can still become infected. Consequently, even if you miss just one dose. Giving heartworm medication to infected dogs may lead to severe reactions. Learn more about Heartworm Positive Dogs.

VetRxDirect stocks a variety of heartworm and parasite preventative treatments for dogs. Because these require a prescription, choosing the right medication for your dog should be done with the help of your veterinarian so they receive the best protection.

Heartgard Plus Heartworm Disease PreventativeHeartgard Plus For Dogs

  • Effectively kills heartworms, hookworm, and roundworm
  • Tasty chewable dogs love
  • Convenient monthly dosing
  • Safe for dogs six weeks and older
  • Dog with food allergies or special dietary needs–Heartgard Tablets do not contain any flavors or beef

 

Related imageTri-Heart Plus

  • Triple protection from heartworms and intestinal worms
  • Kills hookworms and roundworms
  • Tasty chewable tablet
  • Same active ingredients as brand name heartworm medications

 

 

Interceptor Plus at VetRxDirectInterceptor Plus

  • Prevents heartworm disease in dogs
  • Kills tapeworms, whipworms, hookworms, roundworms
  • Contains milbemycin oxime and praziquantel
  • Provides 1 month of protection
  • Tasty chew

 

 

Trifexis at VetRxDirectTrifexis

  • Prevents heartworm disease
  • Kills roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms
  • Kills and control fleas
  • Provides 1 month of protection
  • For dogs 8 weeks and older

 

Which heartworm prevention do you give to your dog? Leave us a comment below.

Give Heartworm Preventatives Year Round

Photo by Brian KingHeartworm disease, a parasitic infection spread by mosquitoes, can affect any dog. They might be young, old, male, female, indoor, outdoor, a city and/or country pet, but no pooch is immune. A common disease, it is naturally more prevalent in areas with a large mosquito population.

Heartworms have an extremely long life cycle. Living within a dog’s heart and/or surrounding vessels, they actually grow anywhere from four inches to a foot long, reaching maturity twelve months post infection. These parasites can survive for as long as five to seven years. Offspring of adult heartworms also circulate within the infected animal’s blood. Quite often, a dog infected with heartworms will be asymptomatic in early stages of the disease.

Stressing a dog’s heart by restricting its blood flow as well as damaging other internal organs, heartworms are considered the most dangerous type of parasites that dogs can contract. A dog’s heart can become enlarged and weakened, leading to congestive heart failure which can be fatal.

Other common, less serious, parasitic infections dogs often contract include hookworms, tapeworms and roundworms.

Signs and Symptoms of heartworm disease in dogs include:

  • Dog has problems breathing.
  • Dog develops a cough.
  • Dog tires more quickly than usual.
  • Dog is listless.
  • Dog appears to be losing weight.
  • Dog has a distended abdomen.
  • Dog has a rough coat.

**Note**: Prompt detection and treatment avoid needless suffering for your dog.

If your dog has developed any of the above heartworm disease symptoms, here are steps that should be taken for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment:

  1. Blood Testing: Blood serum tests can determine the presence of heartworms in your dog’s bloodstream.
  2. Radiology and/or Ultrasound: In cases of more advanced stages of heartworm, x-rays and/or ultrasound are utilized to detect this parasitic infection.
  3. Medical Evaluation: Your dog’s veterinarian will perform a thorough medical examination to ascertain the progress of the disease.
  4. Follow-up Medication Visits: A series of follow-up visits will be needed in order for the doctor to administer several injections of strong anti-parasitic medication.
  5. Monitoring: Close monitoring of the animal is required, after the initial treatment, including hospitalization for a few days to keep the dog quiet.
  6. Surgery: In very severe cases, surgery may be required. This is very dangerous for the dog as well as expensive for the you.
  7. Confinement: Dead heartworms can cause strokes. Hence, the dog will need to be kept confined to a small room (or large crate) and not allowed to exercise for a few months after treatment is complete.

While you may find the above steps alarming, the good news is that the majority of dogs with heartworm disease can be successfully cured. This is typically accomplished with medications capable of killing both the adult parasites and their offspring.

However, there is no better cure than a proactive heartworm preventative! Heartworm prevention is considerably safer for your dog as well as much less expensive for you!

When given regularly and properly, heartworm preventative medications are very effective. They can successfully keep your beloved pet from contracting serious heartworm disease as well as control other types of parasitic infections (i.e. hookworm, roundworm, etc depending on medication).

It is essential your pet be kept on a monthly heartworm preventative regiment. Your dog still needs to be checked periodically to make sure the prescribed medication is providing adequate protection. 

One very effective heartworm product is Tri-Heart Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel). This combination medication is available in three different dosages of flavoured chewable tablets, depending on the size of your dog. Click here to read about additional pet meds for heartworm prevention or browse through VetRxDirect’s full selection of related treatments.

So do your part to keep your pup healthy and happy year-round by keeping heartworms at bay!