Heartworm disease is just what the name implies parasites (worms) that live in the circulating blood and heart of your dog or cat. Adult worms can exceed 12 inches in length. Mosquitoes are the ‘carriers’ of heartworm disease, transporting it from one animal to another. Prevention of the disease is the solution, it is safer and costs much less than treatment if your pet becomes infested.

Heartworms are dangerous, the adult form of heartworms can cause permanent life-threatening damage to the heart and lungs. The immature larval forms that circulate through the bloodstream can also lead to kidney disease.

Heartworm Cycle:
(click to enlarge)Both dogs and cats are susceptible to heartworm disease. Some differences do exist in how each deals with the disease. It seems to be more common in dogs than in cats. In addition, treating heartworms in dogs is more successful than in cats. Where as, early detection and treatment are vital to any successful treatment of heartworms in a dog, cats have no specifically approved treatments and the disease is often fatal. The symptoms of heartworm disease in dogs include coughing, shortness of breath, and lethargy. Cats can sometimes show the same symptoms plus vomiting.

There are medications available to help prevent heartworm disease. We recommend giving pets one of the heartworm preventatives every month, all year long. Mosquitoes are most common in the spring, summer and fall months but they can also be out during mild days during the winter. We recommend the preventative medication even if your pet is an indoor pet, mosquitoes can also get in your home. Recent studies have shown that about half (48%) of cats found to have heartworm disease do not go outside.

It is recommended to have yearly heartworm disease tests for your dog (cats do not require such testing). Heartworm disease is serious enough that we do not want to take any chances. There can be "breaks in protection" that leave your pet susceptible. For instance, it is possible that your pet could go outside and vomit the medication resulting in a month of no protection.

Heartworm disease is preventable and most of the time treatable, especially in dogs. Please talk to one of the doctors to determine the best preventative for you pet.