Pet health: Prevent heartworm disease in dogs

It is springtime here in the Ozarks, which means many people are remembering it is time to start their dog on flea and tick prevention. We all know ticks are bad here in the Ozarks and they carry diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia, and Lyme Disease. There is another parasite people should be just as concerned about their dogs getting, which is heartworm disease. Heartworm disease is spread by a mosquito bite and it only takes one bite for a dog to become infected. With the climate here and all the waterways, the Ozarks is the perfect environment for heartworms to thrive. 

The lifecycle of the parasite is very complicated, therefore, and prevention is needed every 30 days year around to guarantee protection. If the temperature gets above 65 degrees there can be mosquitos. A gap in prevention as minimal as 45 days can also allow a dog to become infected. It is vital that all dogs receive prevention year-round to block infection. 

Signs that your dog may have heartworms are coughing, labored breathing and exercise intolerance. A blood test is needed to diagnose the disease. Other testing such as additional bloodwork and x-rays of the heart and lungs follows to see if your dog is healthy enough for treatment to kill the worms. Treatment is a nine-month process and involves multiple medications. 

The old adage that prevention is better than the cure is still true! Heartworms can be treated successfully if caught early, however, they usually cause irreversible damage to the heart. This leads many dogs to develop congestive heart failure, which dramatically shortens their life. 

My goal is that every dog is on heartworm prevention year around to prevent this horrible disease.