Below\u00a0is some great info reprinted with the permission of Arapaho Road Animal Clinic<\/a>. This is from their March Newsletter <\/a>and is written by Dr. Wes Sperry<\/p>\n Heartworms are exactly what the name says:\u00a0 they are a worm that lives in the heart of the definitive host.\u00a0 The host is most often dogs, but cats can be affected as well.\u00a0 For this article, we will mostly be discussing Heartworm Disease in Dogs, but don\u2019t worry; we will address our feline friends as well.<\/p>\n What is Heartworm Disease?<\/strong><\/p>\n Heartworm disease is the illness caused by the Heartworm Parasite, <\/em>Dirofilaria immitis<\/em> .\u00a0 The parasite lives in the heart, mainly the right ventricle.\u00a0 Many worms can live there at the same time, and the female (which is larger than the male) can be anywhere from 6 to 14 inches long!\u00a0 These worms clog up the heart and main arteries, and lead to heart failure.\u00a0 They also restrict blood flow to the lungs, liver, and kidneys, causing these organs to fail as well.\u00a0 Heartworm disease is the clinical presentation of these problems caused by the parasites.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What are the Symptoms of Heartworm Disease?<\/strong><\/p>\n The symptoms of Heartworm disease are similar to the symptoms of heart failure.\u00a0 These include:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How are heartworms spread?<\/strong><\/p>\n Heartworms are a vector borne parasite, meaning they are transmitted by an insect to the host.\u00a0 Heartworms are transmitted by everyone\u2019s favorite pest\u2026MOSQUITOS.\u00a0 They have to live inside a mosquito to be infective, and are not<\/strong> transferred directly from dog to dog.\u00a0 Here is their lifecyle in a nutshell:<\/p>\n Now, if you live in Texas, you have mosquitos.\u00a0 They are active almost year round here thanks to our lack of a true winter.\u00a0 Therefore, we have heartworm exposure year round as well.<\/strong>\u00a0 There are many myths and false beliefs out there.\u00a0 Here are a few:<\/p>\n Myth 1-<\/strong> My dog only goes outside to use the restroom, and is only outside for a few minutes; therefore he\/she can\u2019t get heartworms.<\/p>\n FALSE! FALSE! FALSE!\u00a0 Did I mention this was false?\u00a0 1)- If your dog is outside for one second, it can be bitten by a mosquito.\u00a0 Mosquitos do not wait for a certain amount of time before biting.\u00a0 2)- Mosquitos can and do come inside your house when you open your doors, and can then bite your pet.<\/p>\n Myth 2<\/strong>– My dog only goes outside in my yard, so he\/she can\u2019t get heartworms.<\/p>\n This is also false.\u00a0 Mosquitos have a long range and will travel to find food.\u00a0 The mosquito that bites your dog may come from miles away, and fences are no barrier to them.<\/p>\n Myth 3-<\/strong> My dog has long hair, so mosquitos can\u2019t bite him.<\/p>\n This is false.\u00a0 While long hair offers some protection from mosquitos, they can still bite the dog, and have no trouble finding an area around the nose, eyes, or belly with thinner hair to bite.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Testing for heartworms<\/strong><\/p>\n Testing for heartworms is very easy, and involves a simple blood test that can be run in 8-10 minutes.\u00a0 We highly recommend testing once a year, and require this to purchase prevention.\u00a0 There are several reasons for this.\u00a0 The main reason is that the prevention is an anti-parasitic drug, and no anti-parasitic drug is 100% effective.\u00a0 I have seen breaks with every type of preventative where an owner has given it but the dog still has contracted heartworms.\u00a0 This is very very rare, but does happen.\u00a0 There have also been pockets (mostly in Mississippi and Georgia) of heartworms becoming resistant to certain preventatives.<\/p>\n Another reason we test yearly is that by the time you see the clinical signs of heartworm disease, the damage is done.\u00a0 We cannot reverse heart failure or liver failure caused by the disease.\u00a0 The disease, however, does not occur quickly, and your dog can have heartworms for several years before the disease manifests.\u00a0 If we catch it early, we can treat the dog before the damage is permanent and prevent the severe disease.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My dog tested positive for Heartworms, what do I do?<\/strong><\/p>\n The first thing you need to do is relax.\u00a0 Testing positive for heartworms is not a death sentence.\u00a0 The treatment for heartworms has improved dramatically over the past 20 years.\u00a0 There used to be serious side effects associated with the treatment of heartworms.\u00a0 That is no longer the case.\u00a0 While there might some minor transient side effects (coughing, etc), most healthy dogs come through the treatment without any problems (again, this is why we test yearly, to catch the cases early while the dog is healthy).<\/p>\n Treatment consists of several steps:<\/strong><\/p>\n This treatment is considered to be safe, with no long term side effects.\u00a0 After this treatment the dogs recover and lead normal lives.<\/p>\n Side effects:<\/strong><\/p>\n While the treatment is considered safe, there are a few side effects.\u00a0 The immediate side effect is pain at the injection site.\u00a0 Many dogs don\u2019t show any signs of pain, but some will be sore in their back for a few days.<\/p>\n About 7-10 days after the treatment, the worms begin to die in earnest.\u00a0 As they die, they break up and float away in the blood stream.\u00a0 If they break up into too large of chunks (gross, huh), they can cause clots in the lungs.\u00a0 This leads to inflammation and coughing.\u00a0 To limit this, your dog is placed on severe activity restriction for one month.\u00a0 This is to keep the heart rate down so the worms break up in smaller particles, thus reducing the risk of severe clots to the lungs.\u00a0 The medication we send home also helps with the inflammation caused by the worms dying.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What are the drawbacks to the treatment?<\/strong><\/p>\n The treatment is very safe, but that doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t any drawbacks.<\/p>\n How can I prevent my dog from getting Heartworms?<\/strong><\/p>\n Heartworm prevention is now very easy.\u00a0 There are numerous preventatives out there, some tablets, some flavored chews, others are topicals to apply to the back.\u00a0 Some are just heartworm and intestinal parasites (very important), while others also control fleas.\u00a0 Heartworm preventatives work by killing the babies before they become adults.\u00a0 They are all given or applied once a month, and are much more cost effective than having to treat your dog for adults (the monthly preventatives do not kill the adults in the heart).\u00a0 If you want to discuss which one you should use we will be happy to discuss the different options with you, just call us or come by.<\/p>\n There are some places in the north (Colorado, Michigan, the cold places) that only need heartworm preventative in the summer months.\u00a0 That is not us.\u00a0 We strongly recommend heartworm preventative year round.<\/p>\n One other reason to give a monthly heartworm preventative:\u00a0 the preventatives also take care of intestinal parasites.\u00a0 Why is this important?\u00a0 Heartworms are not transmissible to humans, but intestinal parasites like hookworms and roundworms are, especially to little children.\u00a0 Giving the dogs a monthly preventative helps prevent this as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What about mosquito repellants?<\/strong><\/p>\n In short\u2026NO.\u00a0 There are no effective mosquito repellants for our pets.\u00a0 Some products claim to do it, but if they work at all, they work for maybe one day (or until the dog gets wet), and not for the month they claim to work.\u00a0 Do not use OFF, etc. on your pet.\u00a0 Also, the incidence of failure for mosquito repellants can by high (people still get bit while wearing OFF), but the incidence of failure of the preventatives is much much lower.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let me tell you, heartworm disease is alive and well in the south Dallas mosquito population. How do I know?\u00a0From all the dogs that we have rescued and tested\u00a0maybe ONE dog was heart worm negative. ONE. And it was a miracle that she was negative. Maybe there were two, but I think really think it was just ONE! \u00a0Dogs under about 1 year old are not old enough to show a positive result, but again, ALL the dogs that were eligible, they all tested positive! If you’re a gambler or a stats guy\u00a0– those odds are really bad! It’s a 1 in 24 chance you are going to be negative. And in this case, negative is positive, it’s a good thing. Positive is a bad thing, bad, bad thing. There is a strong correlation in our rescue population – if the dogs\u00a0are not spay or neutered and they are over 1 year old – they are\u00a0going to be\u00a0heartworm positive. Spay and neuter your dog, vaccinate them, chip them, and put them on heartworm preventative! OK, back to heartworms. It is just like that gross pig heart from 7th grade science class – worms are living in their hearts. The more time they are in there, the more they are growing and taking over the dog’s\u00a0hearts. Eventually,\u00a0terrible life threatening issues arise from all the OTHER organs that rely on a healthy heart. We have seen this. Our worst case was a big teddy bear of a Rottweiler that had terrible lung problems from the heartworms. Our experience with heartworms is that after we treat the dogs and they get over the initial treatment, the dogs suddenly have energy, stamina, they gain weight, they are general happier and more interactive dogs. Heartworm treatment can be tough on a dog, especially\u00a0the more progressed the worms. All of our rescue dogs that\u00a0have tested positive, all\u00a0have been successfully treated and have moved on to happy healthy lives.\u00a0\u00a0This treatment is considered to be safe, with no long term side effects.\u00a0 After this treatment the dogs recover and lead normal lives, but it is\u00a0never without risk. \u00a0If you are considering adopting a dog that has to be heartworm treated or has been heartworm treated, consult your veterinarian. Another con of letting your dog get heartworms is that the\u00a0treatment is very expensive and\u00a0 has post treatment restriction for the dogs.\u00a0 Keep in mind this can all be avoided with heartworm preventative. Keeping your dog on year round preventative will keep your dog safe and healthy. Below\u00a0is some great info reprinted with the permission of Arapaho Road Animal Clinic. This is from their March Newsletter and is written by Dr. Wes Sperry Heartworms are exactly what the name says:\u00a0 they are a worm that lives in the heart of the definitive host.\u00a0 The host is most often dogs, but cats can be affected as well.\u00a0 For this article, we will mostly be discussing Heartworm Disease in Dogs, but don\u2019t worry; we will address our feline friends as well. What is Heartworm Disease? Heartworm disease is the illness caused by the Heartworm Parasite, Dirofilaria immitis .\u00a0 The parasite lives in the heart, mainly the right ventricle.\u00a0 Many worms can live there at the same time, and the female (which is larger than the male) can be anywhere from 6 to 14 inches long!\u00a0 These worms clog up the heart and main arteries, and lead to heart failure.\u00a0 They also restrict blood flow to the lungs, liver, and kidneys, causing these organs to fail as well.\u00a0 Heartworm disease is the clinical presentation of these problems caused by the parasites. What are the Symptoms of Heartworm Disease? The symptoms of Heartworm disease are similar to the symptoms of heart failure.\u00a0 These include: Coughing- soft dry cough Loss of energy\/stamina Weight Loss Weakness\/restlessness Severe signs include swollen, fluid filled abdomen and cyanosis (blue lips\/tongue due to lack of oxygen). How are heartworms spread? Heartworms are a vector borne parasite, meaning they are transmitted by an insect to the host.\u00a0 Heartworms are transmitted by everyone\u2019s favorite pest\u2026MOSQUITOS.\u00a0 They have to live inside a mosquito to be infective, and are not transferred directly from dog to dog.\u00a0 Here is their lifecyle in a nutshell: A dog has adult heartworms in the heart and pulmonary vessels.\u00a0 These heartworms produce baby larva (L1 stage ) which are released into the dog\u2019s blood. A mosquito bites this dog, and while it is ingesting the blood, it ingests the larva. The larva grows in the stomach of the mosquito from L1 stage to L3 stage larvae.\u00a0 L3 is the infective stage.\u00a0 The larva then moves to the mosquito\u2019s mouth. The mosquito bites another dog, and the larva travels from the mouth of the mosquito into the blood of the new dog. The larva travels in the blood stream for about 5-6 months while growing, then it settles into the heart and pulmonary blood vessels as an adult.\u00a0 Adult heartworms live on average 2-3 years, but can live up to 5-6 years. Now, if you live in Texas, you have mosquitos.\u00a0 They are active almost year round here thanks to our lack of a true winter.\u00a0 Therefore, we have heartworm exposure year round as well.\u00a0 There are many myths and false beliefs out there.\u00a0 Here are a few: Myth 1- My dog only goes outside to use the restroom, and is only outside for a few minutes; therefore he\/she can\u2019t get heartworms. FALSE! FALSE! FALSE!\u00a0 Did I mention this was false?\u00a0 1)- If your dog is outside for one second, it can be bitten by a mosquito.\u00a0 Mosquitos do not wait for a certain amount of time before biting.\u00a0 2)- Mosquitos can and do come inside your house when you open your doors, and can then bite your pet. Myth 2– My dog only goes outside in my yard, so he\/she can\u2019t get heartworms. This is also false.\u00a0 Mosquitos have a long range and will travel to find food.\u00a0 The mosquito that bites your dog may come from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":110,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1971","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1971"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2066,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1971\/revisions\/2066"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gypsydogops.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Heartworm](\"http:\/\/static.petwisewebsites.com\/eNrTT87PLUjMq9Q3NTPVLy3IyU9M0U9KMzA2NTJJ0ssqSAdcMLDjCnA,.jpg\" "\\"Heartworm")
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