Hi everyone. Goldie here. I’m on a mission to tell every dog owner and future dog owner about the evils of heartworms. This is something I know first hand, and I don’t want any other dog to have to go through what I went through.

Unfortunately, Heartworm Disease is not something us pups can protect ourselves against. It is, however, something our humans can protect us from. Here’s a little background on the evil heartworm:

Now, I’m no veterinarian, but I’ve learned a few things from my vet and from my mom, who has done a lot of reading on this subject. Heartworms are transmitted to us dogs by mosquitoes carrying heartworm larvae. The mosquito gets the larvae from biting an infected dog, so as you see, it’s a vicious cycle.

Now after the larvae (the technical term is microfilariae) enter the dog’s bloodstream, they migrate in the body for several months while growing into mature worms. These adult worms can be as long as 12 inches and live for 5 – 7 years! And, one dog can have as many as 250 worms! Gross! I can’t believe I had these things living inside me!

The adult worms live inside the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels. They reproduce and have baby worms. The severity of the disease depends on the number of icky worms present as well as how old the dog is and how active she is. These evil worms work to destroy the dog’s heart and lungs and can even damage the liver and kidneys.

Okay, here’s the part I know from experience. In a dog infected with heartworms, you probably won’t even know there’s anything going on in the early stages. Later on, you may notice a cough and your precious doggy may not be as active as she normally is.

In a bad case, you’ve got the cough and fatigue, plus the dog will have trouble breathing and may even pass out! During a veterinary exam, the doctor may notice abnormal lung and heart sounds, enlargement of the liver, among other things. If left untreated, heartworm disease will end in a miserable death for the poor doggy.

I had heartworms while I was pregnant and boy, you talk about not feeling good! Don’t worry, though, dogs cannot transmit heartworms to their puppies, other dogs or people.

As nasty as all this sounds, heartworm disease can be treated. It’s best if you catch it in the early stages. That way the treatment is more effective and less difficult for the dog. Unfortunately, mine wasn’t caught until it was a severe infection. In severe cases, it is much harder on the dog.

If you read part two of my story, you already know the treatment almost killed me twice! The only drug approved for use in dogs to eliminate the adult heartworms is an organic arsenical compound. Sounds scary, right? It is! Most treatments require one to three injections of this deep into the muscle tissue of the back. Talk about painful!

The dying worms can get stuck in the blood vessels and make the dog really sick, or even kill her! After all the adults are killed off, then the vet will go after the babies. This is less intense.

Now, after all that, you might be asking me, “Goldie, what can I do to ensure that my precious doggy does not have to go through this?” I’m glad you asked. There are many, many options out there for heartworm prevention.

There are daily and monthly options that are easy to give to us. Some of us even think the monthly pills are tasty! Your veterinarian can suggest one that is right for your dog. Heartworm disease used to just be a problem in the warm South and coastal areas, but now, cases have shown up all over the country.

I take heartworm prevention year-round, but again, your veterinarian can tell you if you need prevention year-round or seasonally. You have to get the preventive from a veterinarian, but don’t think of it as a bother, think of it as saving your best friend from a miserable disease! Also, your vet will want to test the pooch before starting them on prevention, and will recommend a regular testing schedule.

Heartworms are nasty, horrible creatures, but us doggies do not have to suffer from them! Please, all doggy parents, talk to your veterinarian about how you can prevent them in your beloved companion. Every doggy parent that gives their furbaby heartworm prevention is helping to achieve Goldie’s Dream – the dream of all doggies having loving homes, and the care they need!

jo

**Heartworm information gathered from personal experience and the following websites:

http://www.heartworm society.org/CanineHeartwormInfo.htm

http://www.homevet.com/petcare/heartwor.html

Tags: dogs with heartworms, heartworm treatment, heartworms

This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 at 7:38 pm and is filed under Dog Health, Jolie's Writings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.