Incidence of Heartworms in our Pets Continues to Climb
Year after year, veterinarians brace for the disease that has seriously affected our pets for decades. However this disease is easily avoidable by using inexpensive and safe drugs. Cases of Heartworms both in dogs and cats persist to escalate and also the expense to begin treating (if detected early enough) can be far greater that the expense to prevent. Consequently, how could you safeguard your furry friend from the fatal repercussions of this now wide-spread parasite?
Flash back to 150 years ago when a scientist first identified the heartworm parasite in a dog. Then the parasite evolved and was then diagnosed in our cats 80 years ago. Even though heartworm prevention is available for both dogs and cats you would reckon that we would experience a decrease in the quantity of cases, nevertheless each year hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are diagnosed and frequently perish too soon from this dreaded parasite. Many experts speculate that in North America alone, cases of heartworms in our pets might actually be in the millions.
The disease attributed to this heartworm residing inside your pet’s heart is devastating. Your pet can be infected from the one-time bite of just one mosquito. The worm can then migrate through your pet’s body eventually taking up residence in your pet’s heart chamber and the blood vessels leading to the lungs. This results in your pet’s heart having to pump harder to circulate the blood through his tiny body. The effects to the lungs is far more severe with some pets gasping for breath as the lungs fill with fluid and tiny blood clots clog the vessels. Early clues include coughing and exercise intolerance that some owners just attribute to the dog being lazy. Quite often, signs do not appear until the disease is well advanced and the dog is experiencing heart failure, fluid accumulation in the lungs and belly which can eventually lead to death.
In cats, it takes merely one heartworm to result in harm. The first signs are asthma like symptoms and in some cases vomiting that the owners may attribute to hairballs. If that heartworm lodges in the lungs, it may result in a sudden death of the cat.
Treatment for heartworms is expensive starting from $500 for the smaller dogs, to upwards of $1500 for the bigger breeds. Complicated heartworm disease with cardiac failure is even more expensive and oftentimes there is only a 10% chance of recovery in the severely afflicted pets. As of yet, there is no remedy for cat heartworm disease, just supportive care.
Amazingly, veterinarians do have a solution for this crisis. Safe, effective heartworm preventatives are available in many different simple to use applications. What is even more amazing is that the expense of a lifetime of prevention for many pets is considerably less that the one-time treatment for the disease. And so, why do pets continue to suffer and die from such a preventable illness?
As with all web-based beliefs, two major theories propose that either the heartworm medications are failing or that the parasites are developing a resistance to the medicines. Although conspiracy theorists love these types of thoughts, medical evidence for either theory is absent. Heartworm preventives have a failure rate of less than 1 in 1 million doses. Also, the complex life cycle of the heartworm does not lend itself to creating a natural resistance to the drugs. The truth probably lies in the memory of the owner to administer the dose in a timely fashion and the climate.
Rising temperatures in our climate has triggered an extended mosquito season and a larger possibility of transmission to our pets. Here in Houston, our mosquito season is all year round. Some regions are now finding significantly more mosquitoes in previously mosquito-free locations. Irrigation of dry areas and increased plantings of trees in certain areas can in fact help to increase mosquito population. With a greater number of mosquitoes, there is a better possibility of transmission of heartworm disease.
When all the facts are analyzed, the simplest basis for our failure to control this fatal parasite rests on the humans themselves. We simply fail to give the preventive as we should. It may be due to forgetfulness, or possibly one husband or wife thought the other one administered it or perhaps it could be because of the economic crisis plus the money constraints imposed on the family unit. Regardless of the cause might be, it can cause dire repercussions for the health of our pets.
Fortunately, as pet owners, you do have powerful allies to help fight the war against heartworms. With the help of your veterinarian, you are able to select the best heartworm medication for your pet and your budget. Oral prescription drugs, such as Heartgard, Sentinel, and Iverhart are available. There are also topical medications for instance Advantage-Multi and Revolution that are formulated to also protect your pet from both heartworms and fleas. Proheart 6 is also available as a long-lasting injection. The prevention of this disease rests solely on the pet’s owners to make sure the pet will get the prevention prior to the pet is actually exposed to the parasite. Which means that the prevention should begin in puppy-hood and be administered each month, all year long.
You should not waste time seeking “natural” or organic solutions to prevent heartworms; they just do not exist. Many individuals believe they can formulate ivermectin to give to their pets, but incorrect dilution and storage can lead to overdosing or underdosing. Follow recommendations by your veterinarian and the American Heartworm Society (www.heartwormsociety.org) Your pet is relying on you and prevention is more effective and much less expensive ın comparison to the treatment.
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