Heartworm Prevention

| Print | By Jo Singer | July 30, 2008 4:59 PM

The sound of a mosquito buzzing in my ear sets my teeth on edge. It is worse than the grating noise of chalk scraped against a black board. Trust me; there is good reason for my reaction. Not only are these disease-carrying mosquitoes dangerous to our health, these nasty pests present a potentially serious risk to our cats, dogs and ferrets. These three species are susceptible to heartworm infection.

Steve Thompson, of Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine warns, "If left untreated, heartworm can be fatal." Due to the heavy rainfall, which has been plaguing many parts of our country this summer, mosquitoes have been very actively breeding, which, of course can present a huge risk to our pet population. Heartworm is caused by the bite of a mosquito, infected with the parasite.

30-mosquito.jpg
The culprit

Today, heartworm is a highly preventable disease. The risk of our pets being infected can be greatly minimized by taking a few simple precautions:

If you have not tested your pets for this dangerous disease within the past six month, it is crucial for you to take action and have them tested, immediately. Heartworm can cause lung problems in cats, resulting in an asthma-like cough. What is the most alarming about heartworm in cats is they often show no symptoms and all of a sudden will have a coughing attack, symptomatic of the disease. In dogs and ferrets, lack of energy, coughing and gagging, especially during exercise, are some of the signs that they may be harboring heartworms.

Since treating a pet that is showing symptoms of heartworm carries risk, testing prior to treatment is imperative.

The good news about providing heartworm prevention, after testing, is that it will kill the immature worms before they have a chance to invade the heart, counting 45 days back after a mosquito has bitten the pet.

Remember that even if your pet is an indoor companion, mosquitoes can get into the home through screens, open doors, and windows. All pets are at risk, especially in this season of high mosquito breeding.

Do you test and treat your pets for heartworm? Leave a comment and share.

To learn more about heartworm in dogs and cats, visit our Pet vet area at http://www.petside.com/pet-vet, and scroll to the heartworm articles.

RELATED TOPICS: Blogs (262) , Heartworm (2) , Parasites (4)



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Comments (3)

Kathy July 31, 2008 8:56 AM

I have to be so careful with my dogs because my house backs up to a creek that is alive with "critters".

Thanks for the reminder!

Skylark July 31, 2008 11:38 AM

Good reminder, Jo! This is a terrible season for mosquitoes. I've had my two cats on feline HeartGuard for 5 years (had them both tested first). I plan to switch to Advantage Multi once their HeartGuard supply runs out. Advantage Multi is a topical product that protects cats against heartworms, fleas, round worms, hook worms and ear mites. My cats are indoors only, but one of their favorite places is on the screened in back deck, and who knows what evil lurks out there??

Vicki July 31, 2008 7:32 PM

Heartworm prevention is very important. I make sure all of my dogs get it once a month. Much better to be safe than sorry.

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