Your veterinarian has told you some bad news, your dog has heartworms. Heartworm disease is a serious infection but the good news is heartworm treatment is available.
The picture is of a heartworm infested heart. Heartworms can be deadly so you need to act fast and start treatment right away. Below I've outlined some information on the treatment and cause of heartworm disease.
How did my dog get heartworms? - A mosquito bites an infected dog, the now infected mosquito bites another dog and transmits the tiny immature heartworms to this dog. Thus, the disease spreads. The tiny worms first move into the dog's tissue and then the heart, where they grow and reproduce.
As they reproduce new immature worms are sent into the bloodstream where they are picked up by mosquitoes getting a blood meal. The mosquitoes then spread the parasite to the next dog they bite.
What is the next step after diagnosis? - Your veterinarian will first want to know if your dog is symptomatic. Heartworms can cause heart failure, symptoms include
- coughing,
- lethargy,
- exercise intolerance,
- and anemia.
Next the doctor will want radiographs of your dog's chest. He/She will be looking for changes in the heart that are typical of heartworms. The arteries over time develop certain characteristics that can be seen on x-rays. The result of these characteristics being complete and partial blockage of blood vessels, when this happens fluid starts to accumulate in the lungs.
The result of the fluid is a loss of useful lung tissue. With this loss the lungs will not be able to oxygenate the blood for the body. Your veterinarian will also want to do a complete blood workup on your dog. The treatment for heartworms can be hard on the body, so it is important to have as much information as possible about your dogs health before starting the treatment. Your veterinarian will make the final call as to what tests to perform before starting the treatment, so listen to his/her recommendations.
What is the treatment? - The treatment for heartworms is a drug called Melarsomine, or Immiticide. The Immiticide is given by injection 24 hours apart or one month apart depending on the severity of the case. After your dog receives the injections it will require strict cage rest for 4 - 6 weeks. It is important to follow this rule, it will reduce stress on the heart and lungs while the body is eliminating the worms.
Problems to watch for include but are not limited too:
- pain, swelling, and tenderness at the injection site or reluctance to move due to pain at injection site
- coughing
- depression
- lethargy
- lack of appetite
- fever
- vomiting
- excessive drooling
- panting
- diarrhea
- coughing up blood
- abnormal heart rhythms
- and death.
These side effects could be a response to the drug or the dead worms, if your pet has any side effects you should call your vet immediately.
You will retest your dog for heartworms in 4 months and start on heartworm prevention. Without heartworm prevention your dog could become infected again because the body will not become immune after having heartworms.
Heartworm disease is serious business. If your dog has received a diagnosis of heartworm disease you'll want to listen to your veterinarian's recommendations carefully. Heartworms have been diagnosed in all 50 states and worldwide so don't think your dog is safe. Canines have traveled the world with their owners so anywhere you have mosquitoes you have heartworms.
