Care of your dog - Heartworm Heartworms live in the heart and main blood vessels of the lungs, and grow up to 30 cm long. Both dogs and cats may be infected, though the incidence of infection in dogs is much higher than in cats. Heartworm disease is a serious threat to the well-being of the infected animal, with severe and often irreparable damage occurring before clinical signs may be noticed. Mosquitos are the main vectors for the spread of infection - a mosquito bites an infected animal and ingests the mmature heartworms (microfilariae) with blood. The microfilariae mature in the mosquito over a 2-3 week period and are transferred to another animal when the mosquito feeds again. The worms migrate from the site of the mosquito bite to the vessels of the heart and lungs, where they develop into sexually mature worms by 7 months after infection. Clinical signs of heartworm infection are related to blockage and weakening of the blood vessels. In dogs, clinical signs include persistent coughing, laboured breathing, general lethargy and tiring easily after exercise, a distended abdomen, collapse and sometimes death. Treatment for the condition is both expensive and traumatic for the animal - prevention is very definitely better than cure. Preventative medication should be given from 6-12 weeks of age. Daily, monthly and annual medications are available, however, most people prefer the convenience of the monthly preparations or annual injection. These also have the advantage of being slightly more flexible - there is no concern if you are a couple of days late in dosing your pet with monthly medication or yearly injection, whereas a missed daily tablet may lead to heartworm infection. Combination products given monthly for heartworm prevention and gastrointestinal worm control are also available. These may be in tablet, chewable or 'spot-on' form. An important point to note: "Allwormer" medication, while successfully controlling gastrointestinal worms, does not offer any protection against heartworm. If your pet hasn't started heartworm prevention by the age of 7 months, a blood test is required to ensure that they are not already infected with heartworm. If the test is negative, the preventative should be started. We also recommend a follow-up blood test in a further 7 months. If you would like further information about heartworm prevention, or you would like to have your pet tested before starting preventative medication, please give us a call.
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