Heartworm disease is easily prevented with heartworm prevention medications that are now availabe through your veterinarian.
Heartworm disease is a mosquito borne illness. The good thing about heartworms, if there really is a good thing about heartworms, is that it can be prevented. Below I've outlined a few things to keep in mind when purchasing heartworm preventative.
Heartworm testing -
The first step in prevention is finding out if your dog is heartworm positive or negative. Your veterinarian will perform the test with a few drops of your dog's blood. Most vet offices can perform the test in house, if they do not have this capability then they will have to send the blood to a lab and call you with the results.
Heartworm testing is only performed on adult dogs, puppies do not require a heartworm test because it takes 6 months after exposure for heartworms to be detectable on a test. Every veterinarian will have their own recommendation on what age to start testing so I would follow their advice. Also, some veterinarians will require testing every year, others every 2 years - this is generally based on where you live and whether or not you use preventative year round or seasonally.
Brands of preventative -
There are many brands of prevention available. This is a prescription product so you will need to purchase it from a licensed veterinarian. Your vet will have a recommendation as to which product you use. Whichever product you use it will be something you give on a monthly basis so mark your calender. I also advise you to pick a day you'll remember, for example the 1st or 15th of every month. The usual brands include, HeartGard Plus, Interceptor, Sentinel, and Revolution.
Added Benefits -
There are added benefits to using a monthly heartworm preventative. These products prevent intestinal parasites as well. Revolution also includes a flea and sarcoptic mange preventative and Sentinel prevents flea eggs from hatching. Keep in mind humans can also carry intestinal parasites so it's a good idea to keep your dog on a preventative, especially if you have children who like to go barefoot outside.
Internet Pharmacy -
Internet pharmacies seem to be all the rage right now. I try to shy people away from using them for a couple of reasons. The drug companies who make these products will only sell to a licensed veterinarian so these on line pharmacies acquire there product from unethical sources.
The heartworm preventative manufactures will guarantee there product but only if it's been purchased through a veterinarian. I think that's a pretty strong reason to stay away from the on line pharmacies, heartworm treatment can be close to a thousand dollars, again depending on where you live and what your veterinarian charges.
Heartworm preventative is easy to give, the hardest part is remembering. It might help you to remember if you think about what happens without it. Those pesky heartworms are deadly. Dogs with heartworm disease begin to show signs of congestive heart failure. Treatment is expensive and can be dangerous. It's easier and less expensive to prevent heartworms then to treat for them later.
The copyright of the article Preventing Heartworm Disease in Pet Care is owned by Charla Dawson. Permission to republish Preventing Heartworm Disease in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Mar 27, 2006 10:31 PM
Joy Butler :
Hi Charla! I'm Joy and I'm your neighbor in Science& Nature, over at the Dogs topic. I used to write two other animal topics and a travel topic for Suite.
Living in the South, I'm not looking forward to mosquito time. I really wish everyone could understand the importance of heartworm preventative. Even after going through a painful and expensive treatment, not all dogs thrive afterward. If the heartworm case is severe enough, damage done to internal organs can sometimes be fatal. A sweet little spitz/terrier I rescued back in the 90's went through treatment but lived only 4 months afterward, due to severe lung and liver damage.
I love animals and look forward to reading more of your articles.
Mar 28, 2006 7:27 PM
Charla Dawson :
Hi Joy, yes heartworm season is upon us. I can't tell you how many positive dogs I've seen in the last 8 years. The survival rate after treatment is better. But there is no reason to put your dog through heartworms when it is so easy to prevent.
