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Pets and Heartworm
At this time of year most of us are looking forward to the holiday season, not many of us will be thinking about the warmer weather that really is not too far from us and for pet owners, the heartworm season is approaching fast!
In June pet owners are going to have to start preparing for the inevitable onslaught of the dreaded mosquito. Heartworm is a parasite which is transmitted by these little blood sucking parasites and as such should be taken seriously by all dog and cat owners. It can be deadly, yet it is also very easy to prevent. With all of the resources available to prevent this disease, no pet should ever contract it.
This parasite is an actual worm that lives in the pulmonary vessels of the heart (the vessels that carry blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen). They can grow to 12 inches long and if the infestation is severe enough can even live in the heart itself. As they increase in number the worms begin to take up space in the heart and pulmonary vessels of our cats and dogs, which in turn will cause high blood pressure, difficulty in breathing symptoms, and eventually death due to heart failure.
Heartworm is spread from animal to animal by mosquitoes. When the mosquito feeds on the blood of an infected animal, immature worms (called microfilaria) enter the mosquito. The microfilaria must then undergo an incubation period inside the mosquito during which the temperature outside must be constantly warm for several weeks. Because of this developmental period, danger of infection for pets begins in the spring after a few weeks of warm weather.
After the heartworm has reached the infective stage inside the mosquito, it is passed to a new host animal when the mosquito bites again. After entering the new host microfilaria must spend up to five months maturing before they migrate to the pulmonary arteries. During this developmental period the worms cannot be detected, so veterinarians recommend testing for heartworm every spring in case infection occurred the previous summer. Once the worms reach the pulmonary arteries, they grow and reproduce, releasing more microfilaria back into the bloodstream. The next mosquito that bites this host animal then carries the heartworm microfilaria to its next victim, starting the cycle of infection over again.
Symptoms of heartworm include coughing, fainting, fatigue, and difficulty in breathing. Your cat or dog may have heartworm for several years before showing any symptoms of the disease, and when the symptoms finally do occur, the heart and pulmonary arteries are often so full of worms that treatment becomes very risky.
Treatment for this disease can be just as taxing to the animal as the infection itself. The primary treatment available for heartworms is a form of arsenic administered at doses designed to kill the worms but not the dog. Although this treatment is safer today than in the past, there is a risk that the animal could die during treatment.
Cats are not as susceptible to heartworm infection as dogs. However, in areas where incidence of heartworm is high in dogs, some cats will inevitably contract the heartworm disease as well. It is theorized that the lower incidence in cats is due to the cat's ability to fight off the infection. Symptoms of heartworm in cats include coughing, difficult breathing, and intermittent vomiting. Sudden collapse and death can also occur as a result of even a single worm infection. Without a doubt, the easiest way to keep your cat and dog from getting this disease is to prevent infection in the first place. The preventative, in easy to administer pills, should be given only after a negative heartworm test each spring.
Some preventatives, if given to an animal that already has heartworm, could cause life threatening reactions. In addition, if the heartworms are already present in the animal, the preventative will not kill them, but will leave them free to cause damage and eventually heart failure will follow. The preventative acts by killing the infective forms of the worm before they have a chance to develop into adults.
With all of the products available to prevent this disease, there should be no reason for any pet to contract heartworm. If you have a pet related web site and you wish to reproduce the above article you are welcome to do so, provided the article is reproduced in its entirety, including this live link to: 1 Flea Control Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com
Next: Worms in Your Dog... Gross!
Other Related Articles:• Dog Worms: Understand Dog Worms Symptoms and Infestation • Dog Worms -- Don't Let Them Get Started • Heartworms Alert - Know The Warning Signs To Save Your Pets Health!
• Heartworms In Dogs – What They Are & What To Do
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