Heartworm Disease Can Be Deadly But is Easily Prevented
Services Contacts Staff Info Pet Links Pet News What's New? Take a Tour Senior Pages		Heartworm disease is a common problem in many areas of the world, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The disease has been prevalent along the southeast Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States as far as Texas for over fifty years. Heartworm infection has spread north and west to most areas of the United States. CAUSE Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection is transmitted to dogs via the bite of many species of mosquitos. Transmission by mosquitos results in the presence of the disease in nearly every state in the U.S. PREVALENCE Infection rates approach 50% along the Atlantic and Gulf coast states. Virtually all unprotected dogs in regions of high incidence will become infected. Large and medium-sized dogs are more often infected, probably because of increased outdoor exposure compared to toy and miniature breeds. Infection is diagnosed most often in dogs 4-7 years of age. Cats appear more resistant but can be affected, especially in areas of high incidence. Disease onset and severity largely reflects the number of adult heartworms, which can vary from one to more than 250 per dog, with some heartworms reaching 14 inches in length. In infected cats, the average number of adult worms is three. CLINICAL SIGNS (symptoms) Exercise intolerance, coughing and labored breathing occur in dogs with moderate and advanced heartworm disease. Coughing is common in cats with chronic disease. Most commonly the patient appears normal because the disease is diagnosed by a veterinarian before it has caused severe damage. Intermittent vomiting is a frequent sign of heartworm disease in cats. Sudden shortness of breath and even sudden death are more common in cats and are not always associated with high worm numbers. DIAGNOSIS Heartworm disease is diagnosed with a simple blood test. The test can be run here at the hospital in about 15 minutes and takes only two drops of blood. TREATMENT The goal of treatment is to kill all adult heartworms with an adulticide (arsenic derivative) and to accomplish this with minimal drug toxicity and a tolerable degree of clotting due to the dying worms. Prevention is much less expensive and much easier on the patient as it avoids the use of arsenic compounds. PREVENTION Metzger Animal Hospital highly recommends the use of INTERCEPTOR (milbemycin oxime) heartworm preventative. INTERCEPTOR is a safe and effective once-a-month chewable tablet for the prevention of heartworm disease. INTERCEPTOR costs approximately 3-7$ per month, depending on the body weight of your dog. As an added bonus, INTERCEPTOR also serves as a once-a-month wormer for intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms and whipworms which are prevalent in central Pennsylvania. It should be noted that roundworm and hookworm infections are zoonotic, which means that these parasites can infect people as well as pets. There are two possible protocols to follow when protecting your pet with INTERCEPTOR: • A heartworm blood test in the spring followed by 6 months of INTERCEPTOR. Note that a heartworm blood test will be required each year before starting the 6 months of preventative. • A heartworm blood test followed by 12 months of INTERCEPTOR. This allows you to benefit from year round parasite control plus it avoids the yearly blood test. It is recommended to test the blood every 3 years even if you use this protocol.