Why Your Pet Needs Heartworm Protection
Heartworm disease poses a severe risk to pets, with a single mosquito bite potentially leading to fatal consequences. Heartworms can invade your pet’s heart, lungs, and blood vessels, causing serious, lifelong health issues or even death. Fortunately, preventive medication from your veterinarian can protect your pet from this dangerous disease.
How Heartworm Affects Pets
Heartworm is transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected animal and then bites your pet. The larvae from the heartworm develop in your pet’s body, maturing into adult heartworms within six months. These worms, which can grow from 4 to 14 inches in length, primarily affect the lungs and heart, severely hampering the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively.
Often, by the time symptoms are noticeable, irreversible damage may have already occurred to the pet’s lungs, heart, kidneys, liver, or blood vessels. Even if the pet survives, it may suffer from ongoing health issues that can diminish its quality of life and reduce its lifespan.
Heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states in the U.S., according to the American Heartworm Society. Mosquitoes carrying heartworm can travel significant distances, spreading the disease across wide areas.
Signs and Symptoms of Heartworm
- Dogs: Symptoms in dogs include coughing, reduced activity, easy fatigability, loss of appetite, and a swollen abdomen. Dogs can harbor a large number of worms which can block blood flow and increase the risk of sudden death.
- Cats: In cats, heartworm can cause weight loss, coughing, shortness of breath, vomiting, and sudden collapse. Cats typically host fewer worms, but even a small number can cause significant health issues.
- Ferrets: Even one or two worms can cause severe health problems in ferrets, including rapid breathing, lack of energy, coughing, or bluish gums.
Preventing Heartworm
Heartworm disease is entirely preventable with the right medication. Dogs older than 7 months need to be tested for heartworm before starting preventive medication. Puppies younger than 7 months can be started on medication without a prior test.
Preventive options include monthly topical applications, chewable tablets, or injections administered by our doctors at Acacia Pet Hospital. It’s also crucial for your pet to undergo annual heartworm testing to ensure they haven’t contracted the disease.
Cats and ferrets also have monthly medications available, with kittens able to start as early as six weeks old, and ferrets beginning once they weigh at least two pounds. While these medications effectively prevent heartworm disease by killing the larvae, they do not affect adult worms, necessitating different treatment approaches for already infected pets.
Is your pet protected against heartworm? Consult our doctors at Acacia Pet Hospital to schedule a heartworm test and to renew your pet’s prescription for heartworm preventive medication.
If you need more help or have any questions, call us at Acacia Pet Hospital, (408) 264-6354, 4486 Pearl Ave, San Jose, CA 95136,
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm or visit us online.