Heartworm and Tick Awareness You Need!
Black Dog Laying in the Green Grass in the Summer
Heartworm and tick season is still active with the warm temperatures! Keep reading to learn what you need to be aware of to effectively protect your dog (and other pets)!
Heartworms from a Dog
Heartworm Awareness
Warm temperatures and the ever-hungry mosquito poses a real threat of heartworm disease to your dog (as well as cats and ferrets!).
Think you can ignore it? If left untreated, heartworm can be fatal.
Heartworm disease is usually subtle and often missed because the parasites, foot-long roundworms, live unseen inside your dog’s heart, lungs, and blood vessels. But heartworm can also harm your pet’s:
Liver.
Kidneys.
Eyes and
Nervous system.
Wait, There’s More!
If all that wasn’t scary enough, there is one more thing you must know! Heartworms can live for 5-7 years in dogs and if your dog is left unprotected, they can be re-infected each season to an insurmountable health crisis!
Heartworm Disease: Symptoms
Below are the typical symptoms of heartworm disease. However, by the time these symptoms become apparent, the disease may already be extensive. If your dog exhibits any of the following signs, go to your vet immediately for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan!
Initial Symptoms
Lethargy and fatigue.
Coughing.
Weight Loss.
Lack of Appetite and
Intolerance of Regular Exercise.
Advanced Symptoms (Possibly Requiring Surgical Intervention)
Swollen Belly.
Labored Breathing.
Pale Gums and
Dark Bloody or Coffee-Colored Urine.
Testing is Crucial
Testing for heartworm is crucial every year to catch any possible infection early (even if your dog has been consistently protected!).
Dogs (seven months and older) should be tested before starting any heartworm prevention.
If heartworm prevention has lapsed for your dog - even for a month - or has never been used, dogs need to be re-tested after six months before restarting any prevention. Why? It can take more than six months for a dog to test positive after being bitten by an infected mosquito! Therefore, heartworms must be at least 7 months old before they can be detected by testing.
Heartworm Treatment
Treatment for heartworms has come a long way and most dogs can now be successfully treated although the treatment is intensive and expensive.
Treatment includes:
Re-confirming the diagnosis of heartworm infection.
Restricting all exercise.
Stabilizing the dog’s health and disease.
Retesting and prevention.
Tick Awareness and Prevention
Protect Your Dog from Ticks!