Many people have heard about heartworm disease, but what is it?
It is actually just as it sounds — long thin worms that look similar to spaghetti, living within your pet’s heart and lungs.
Heartworms are usually around one foot in length and up to 250 worms may be present in a single dog’s chest.
The worms produce thousands of larvae that circulate in the dog’s bloodstream and serve as a source of infection for other dogs.
The disease is spread by a mosquito biting a heartworm infected dog, collecting some of these microscopic larvae which then undergo a maturation process within the mosquito.
Then a period of time later when this mosquito bites another dog, the larvae are then injected into the other dog.
Virtually 100 per cent of dogs that are exposed to these larvae will become infected with heartworm. Coyotes, wolves and even foxes can serve as a reservoir of heartworm disease and mosquitoes biting these animals can transmit heartworm disease to dogs as well.
Cats can also get heartworm disease, but it is much more common in dogs.
The ease of transmission of heartworm makes it very important to ensure that your dog is on heartworm preventative medication when travelling to a heartworm endemic area.
Alberta is considered to be free of heartworm, but many other places aren’t so lucky. Southern B.C., Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and almost all of the USA is infested with heartworm disease.
Cases that have occurred in Alberta were in dogs that have travelled outside of Alberta.
Prevention is as simple as a pill or topical medication monthly while you are in a heartworm endemic area, then for one month after you return.
It is very important to see your veterinarian for these medications before you leave as they are available by prescription only.
Dogs that have travelled to endemic areas must be tested for heartworm disease before receiving preventative medication since if they already have heartworm disease they can have an extremely serious reaction to the medication.
Once a dog gets heartworm disease, treatment is very expensive and difficult.
The goal of treatment is to kill the worms in the dog’s heart and lungs without the dog having a life threatening reaction to them, which is not always possible to achieve.
Sadly many pets with heartworm disease die from it.
Not treating a dog with heartworm disease becomes an ethical dilemma as they now serve as a source of infection for other dogs.
Remember heartworm disease is easy to prevent but difficult to treat, so make sure your furry friends are protected!
Various staff members at Lomsnes Veterinary Hospital in Red Deer contribute to this column on pets. Staff provides medical, surgical and dental care for pets and education and wellness counselling for pet owners. Contributors to the column include Dr. Lisa Lomsnes, Dr. Cathy Dick and Dr. Hayley Biederbeck.