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Heartworm is a disease that is common in dogs and cats in all areas throughout the world even though it extemely easy and cost effective to treat.  Death by heartworm infestation is very painful and laboring.  Heartworms live in the heart and large adjacent vessels of infected dogs.  Female dog heartworms can be up to 14 inches long and 1/8 inch wide.   Male heartworms are about half the size of the females and a dog can have as many as 300 heartworms. HOW IS THE DISEASE SPREAD? Heartworm parasites go through several life stages.  Mosquitoes usually serve as the intermediate host during the larval stage of the heartworm.  Mosquitoes ingest microfilariae (the early larval stage of a parsitic nematode worm) when they bite infected dogs.  Microfilariae then undergo changes in the mosquito, allowing it to be passed on to other animals.  This process lasts approximately 10 days.  When infected the microfilarae get flushed through the infected dog's blood stream and eventually reach the heart and lungs where they grow into adult heartworms.  Female adult heartworms can each produce thousands of new microfilariae per day which can live in the host animals blood stream up to three years. CLINICAL SIGNS OF HEARTWORM DISEASE Acute Heartworm Disease:  No abnormal clinic signs are observed. Mild Heartworm Disease:  Your dog may have a cough. Moderate Heartworm Disease:  Signs of excercise intolerance, cough and abnormal lung sounds. Severe Heartworm Disease:  Excercise intolerance, cough, breathing difficulties, abnormal lung sounds, enlargement of the liver, temporary loss of conciousness due to poor blood flow to the brain, fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity, weight loss, loss of stamina and death. IF YOUR DOG SHOWS ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS TALK TO YOUR VETERINARIAN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. HEARTWORM DIAGNOSIS Heartworm disease is detected through a very simple, inexpensive blood test.  Cost of this heartworm test is approximately $25.00.  Heartworm tests should be done on an annual basis. HEARTWORM TREATMENT Heartworm treatment is a serious medical procedure that should be carried out only by a qualified veterinarian.  The drugs used to kill heartworms (one being Ivomectin) contain an arsenic component.  During heartworm treatment the dog's liver and kidney will work hard to rid the body of byproducts from the drugs and from the dead heartworms. Dogs need to be kept still several weeks after heartworm medication has been given.  The medication can cause nausea, loss of appetite and vomitting.  A serious effect of the treatment is that the dead worms will move through the blood stream.  Because of the risks and the PAIN and SUFFERING involved with heartworm treatment it is much better to prevent heartworms in the first place. HEARTWORM PREVENTION: There are several products on the market for heartworm prevention.  I personally believe in Heartgard Plus.  This is a chewable tablet given once a month (in a timely manner).  It tastes good so my dogs enjoy taking them or they can be put in their meal.  Heartgard Plus costs approximately $5.00 per dose.  Compare that to the pain and suffering of the disease itself and the fact that cost of treatment can be $500.00 and it only makes sense to provide your dog with this care. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR VETERINARIAN FOR INFORMATION ON HEARTWORM PREVENTION AND FOR TREATMENT GUIDELINES

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