What are Heartworms?

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Heartworms are long, parasitic worms that live in a dog’s heart and major vessels, causing serious and potentially fatal damage to the heart, lungs, and other organs. Mosquitoes transmit heartworms by carrying baby worms (microfilaria) from one dog to another. These mature into adults in six months and reproduce in the dog’s heart. Heartworm disease is found in every U.S. state, and symptoms, including coughing, fatigue, and weight loss, may take years to appear. 

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Treatment and Prevention

In most cases, heartworm disease is treatable. The sooner it is caught, the better. Treatment begins with staging the severity of the heartworm disease. Chest x-rays, bloodwork and a urinalysis are run to determine the stage. Then a treatment schedule is determined.  The main treatment for heartworms is an injection of Immiticide to kill the adult worms, followed by a month of strict rest.  Followed by a series of two injections, given 24 hours apart with another month of strict rest. Rest is a vital part of the treatment process; as the adult worms die, pieces of it break off and are absorbed by the dog’s body. If the dog is too active, large pieces can break off and cause complications like emboli in the vessels that can be fatal. Other medications like anti-inflammatories and antibiotics are given to help mitigate these and other complications. Once the treatment is completed, an antigen test is performed 6-12 months after to ensure the worms have been cleared. It is important to remember that Immiticide is a toxin and can have serious complications, including painful nodules at injection site, lung congestion, fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, pulmonary inflammation, edema and death. 

Ultimately, prevention is key, as treatment can be complicated and very costly. We recommend annual heartworm testing, and keeping your animal on a year-round heartworm medication like Heartgard or Proheart.

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For more information, please call 806-793-0054