Wades Wisdom - Importance of Heartworm testing and prevention in dogs

Heartworm is a parasite which dogs can contract through infected mosquitoes. All it takes is one infected mosquito to bite your dog to pass the parasites larva on to your dog.

Heartworms live in the heart of the dog and can grow up to a foot in length. The heartworms will continue to grow and fill the heart making it hard for your dog to function normally. You may notice coughing or shortness of breath if your dog is heartworm positive.

It is relatively easy to find out if your dog has contracted heartworms. It is a simple blood test which is done yearly or every other year, depending on your veterinarians preference.

Most veterinarians who test yearly will recommend that your dog be on heartworm prevention in the peak "heartworm season" which usually runs from April - November (depending on the weather and where you live). It depends on the weather because mosquitoes are normally out until there is a good, hard frost. If you life in the southern United States, it is recommended to be on the preventative year round.

Those veterinarians who will test every other year require that your dog be on the prevention year round. As long as you do not miss a month of the medication, they will only test every other year.

Heartworm prevention is what is recommended by veterinarians. It is much easier to prevent the disease then to cure it; although there is a cure.

The prevention is a pill which is given once a month to the dog. There are many different kinds of prevention which will cover many different parasites.

Heartguaard

Heartguaard is a heartworm prevention which is given orally to the dog each month. Heartguaard covers heartworms, as well as other intestinal parasites such as roundworms and hookworms. The pill looks like a meaty treat which has a beef flavor.

Interceptor

Interceptor is a heartworm prevention which is given orally to the dog each month. ILike heartguaard it covers heartworms, as well as other intestinal parasites such as roundworms, hookworms. However, unlike heartguaard, interceptor also covers the intestinal worm known as whip worms. Whip worms are commonly carried by horses, so if you also raise horses, interceptor would be a good idea. The pill is a treat which is flavored so the dog should eat it without any problem.

Sentinel

Sentinel is a heartworm prevention common to Interceptor. It covers heartworms, roundworms, hookworms and whip worms. However, unlike interceptor is also helps with fleas. However, sentinel does NOT kill fleas. It only makes them sterile, which means they can not reproduce. Sentinel is also given orally once a month to the dog and is a flavored treat so the dog should eat it without any problem.

Revolution

Revolution is a little different then the other preventions. It is a topical which is put on the back of the neck of the dog each month and gets absorbed into the skin. Revolution covers heartworm, as well as fleas and earmites. Revolution does kill the fleas as well as earmites. It should be said that although dogs can get earmites, it is not as common as in cats.

If your dog tests positive for heartworms, there is a treatment. It is a lot more expensive then the preventative. Depending on where you live, the treatment can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a thousand.

Depending on your veterinarians recommendations, they may decide to do a few additional tests before starting the treatment. Some veterinarians may do x-rays and bloodwork before treating for heartworms. These tests help to show what stage the heartworms are in, and if the dog has any other problems such as kidney or liver problems. If the x-rays and bloodwork do not indicate any other problems treatment may begin.

The treatment involves giving two shots near the hips of a dog 24 hours apart. The shots are a medication which take care of the adult heartworms as well as the larva.

After the treatment, your dog must be kept as quiet as possible for the next 4-6 months. Your dog will be re-tested for heartworm in 6 months. If at that time the test is negative your dog will at that time begin the preventative. Usually, once a dog has been treated for heartworms, veterinarians would recommend that the dog be kept on preventative year round.