| A
heartworm is a parasitic worm that is very common both in dogs
and in cats. As the name suggests, these parasites live in the
dog's heart and are generally found free-floating in the blood
vessels that surround the heart and in the right ventricle. Heartworms
are transmitted from dog to dog by mosquitoes, which pass the
larvae through their saliva into the dog. Heartworms can be very
dangerous and even fatal to a dog. It is difficult to detect the
presence of heartworms, as the dog will show no signs of infection
until the disease has progressed considerably.
Once infected
with heartworms, a dog will show no obvious signs of infection
and the heartworms will not be detectable with a blood test.
Once the larvae reach the maturity and infect the heart, a routine
X-ray will confirm their presence almost immediately. Damage
to the blood vessels surrounding the heart and lungs will be
apparent and the heartworms will continue to grow and multiply
until the flow of blood is blocked and the dog will exhibit
other symptoms such as pain, hypertension, fainting, breathing
difficulties, and lethargy. Advanced heartworm infections will
eventually lead to heart failure and death, although by this
time the dog's owner will have noticed that something is wrong
and will have sought medical care for the dog.
Once a
dog has been diagnosed with heartworms, treatment must begin
immediately. There are four stages to heartworm infection:
Stage one
is when the dog is at the lowest risk for permanent health issues.
Heartworms will appear in X-rays but there will be no other
obvious signals.
Stage two
indicates a moderate infection and the dog may have trouble
breathing and/or have severe coughing.
Stage three
includes a severe infection of heartworms and the dog may lose
weight, have an extremely hard time breathing, and blood tests
will show liver and/or kidney damage.
Stage four
generally includes Vena Cava Syndrome and the dog may be in
shock, essentially dying slowly. During this stage surgery is
the only method of removing the heartworms and there is no guarantee
that this will save the dog's life.
Prevention
is the best medicine to ensure that your dog does not become
infected with heartworms. Preventative measures should be taken
from the time your dog is a puppy, before he reaches seven months
of age. Older dogs are at greater risk for negative reactions
and resistance to preventative treatments.
|
