Heartworm Disease in Dogs
Commonly Asked Questions
Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes. A mosquito will bite a dog that has heartworms and then infect another dog when it bites. The heartworms travel to the heart where the worms grow. To prevent against this you should give your dog Heartgard.
Heartgard is a prescription medicine that you give on the same day of every month to kill heartworms and some intestinal worms. It works for at least 30 days. It should be given all year round.
Revolution is a topical product that is administered once a month to kill heartworms, some intestinal worms, some mites, fleas, and ticks.
Before you can buy heartwom preventatives, you must
have your dog tested for heartworms. We take a small
amount of blood and send it to a lab, getting the results
back the very next day. You can start giving the heartworm
preventative immediately.
Because heartgard is a prescription medication it can
only be dispensed if the veterinarian has a patient-doctor
relationship with the dog. This means that the veterinarian
prescribing the medication must have examined the dog
in the past year.
Symptoms - At first an infected dog may show few signs of infection, but as the heartworms grow and mature, they cause increasing damage. Your dog may become listless, tire easily after exercise, and develop an occasional to persistent cough.
In advanced cases, dogs often suffer congestive heart failure. Complications may develop in the liver and kidneys. The blood supply to the lungs and other major organs may become blocked.
Treatment - Before treatment can be started, a complete physical and medical examination is necessary to determine the health status of your dog and the severity of the disease. X-rays and bloodwork are usually taken before treatment.
Heartworms are treated with a series of injections over several months. The dog is often hospitalized for at least one day for this procedure.
After treatment, rest is necessary to prevent complications.
The dog should be kept quiet and confined as directed
by the veterinarian. The dog should also start the heartgard
preventative to prevent from future worms infesting
the heart.
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