Heartworm Disease in Pets: A Comprehensive Guide

Do you also get chills from the mere thought of your pets suffering from heartworms? Though it is fair for you to be worried, staying worried alone won’t benefit your furball. Instead, focus on understanding how these parasites spread and how you can prevent them from infecting your little bundle of joy.

In this blog post, we will explore the fundamentals of heartworms, including their symptoms and methods for prevention.

Let’s begin!

What are heartworms & how do they spread?

Heartworms are large, spaghetti-like worms that live in the heart, associated blood vessels and lungs for several years. They can grow up to a foot long. These harmful worms reproduce within the heart and can cause life-threatening damage to the heart, lungs and other organs if left unattended.

Heartworms are transmitted to pets by an infected mosquito. When a mosquito bites an infected dog or cat, it picks up the immature heartworm larvae (microfilariae), which grow into infective larvae within 10 to 30 days. When this infected mosquito bites a healthy pet, it transmits the disease-causing heartworm larvae into the pet’s bloodstream, causing the deadly heartworm disease.

What are the symptoms of heartworms in pets?

Take a look at the common symptoms of heartworm disease in pets.

Symptoms of heartworm-infected dogs:

• Breathing difficulty
• Coughing
• Lethargy
• Weakness
• Fatigue after physical activity
• Unexpected weight loss
• Resistance towards exercise
• Decreased appetite

Cats

Symptoms of heartworm-infected cats:

• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Exercise intolerance
• Low energy
• Diarrhea
• Rapid breathing
• Irregular heartbeat

How to treat and prevent heartworm disease in pets?

The treatment of heartworm disease is complex, expensive and causes several adverse effects to pets post-treatment. Therefore, preventing the disease in the first place should be the goal for any pet parent.

Here are a few simple yet effective ways to keep your pets protected from heartworms:

1. Administer preventive treatments: When it comes to heartworms, prevention is the key. There are multiple treatments available for pets in different forms, such as chewable, oral tablet, topical solution, etc. NexGard Spectra for Dogs , Bravecto Plus for Cats , and Revolution Plus for Cats are some of the vet-recommended heartworm preventives for pets.

2. Limit outdoor exposure: Limit your pet’s outdoor activities during peak mosquito hours, especially dusk and dawn. This will help minimise your pet’s exposure to mosquito attacks and prevent the risk of heartworm disease. 

3. Keep your home tidy: Not just outdoors, mosquitoes can find a breeding ground in your home and infect your pet even when they are indoors. Therefore, it is essential to keep your home clean and hygienic. Make sure to empty trash containers regularly and prevent water buildup. Use mosquito repellent to prevent them from attaching to your pet.

4. Schedule vet visits: Not all pets show symptoms soon after a heartworm infection. Some pets with heartworm disease can be asymptomatic until the disease has advanced. Therefore, it is essential to schedule regular vet visits. It will help diagnose the disease at an early stage and provide adequate treatment before it's too late.

Conclusion

Although heartworms are deadly for your furball, with appropriate knowledge and care, you can safeguard your pet from this life-threatening condition. As it is rightly said, "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure." Incorporate the preventive methods mentioned in this blog and keep furry companions in good trim.