Home / Gaia Toast / The One Thing You Need To Know About Heartworms
There are loads of information out there about heartworm life-cycles, symptoms, treatments, etc. But as pet owners, you only need to know one thing about heartworms, and that is
Prevention is 100% better than cure.
Why? This is the only way you can help your dog avoid a potentially life-threatening infection. And prevention is really quite easy. Here are some simple facts:
1) Heartworm is a blood-borne parasite transmitted by mosquitoes
In Singapore, a place where mosquitoes are everywhere, it is impossible to avoid getting bitten and possibly infected with heartworm. This is why, stopping heartworm larvae in their tracks before adulthood, is crucial.
2) Regular heartworm preventive medication works
A dose of preventive medicine every month works. It will kill off any heartworm larvae which may have gotten into your dog’s bloodstream for the past 30 days. The larvae takes more than 30 days to develop and reach the tissues. That is why you cannot skip a dose.
There are also yearly vaccine injections out in the market for heartworm prevention, if this fits your schedule better than a monthly dosing.
3) It is best to get heartworm prescription from your vet
If your dog has never had heartworm preventives before, you need to see a vet. A simple blood test can confirm if your dog is already infected and further tests may necessary to diagnose the extent of the infection.
Heartworm preventives are not effective against mature heartworms. Usually more aggressive treatments are necessary to completely clear the infection.
4) Heartworm infection is really troublesome to treat
Heartworm infection affects the heart and lungs. This means malfunctions in these organs are life-threatening. Heavily infected dogs need a lot of medication, e.g. antibiotics, pain relief, diuretics to drain accumulated fluids etc.
To completely destroy the heartworms will take weeks of treatment. Advanced cases may even need surgery to remove heartworms that are clogging up in the heart.
Some pets develop allergies or asthmatic symptoms in response to the infection. In general, heartworm infection is not as common in cats compared to dogs. However, developing allergies in response to a heartworm infection is more commonly seen in cats. Infected cats may die from the effects of a couple of worms (i.e. even before the infection reaches an advanced stage).
All these add up to a hefty bill and emotional distress for pet owners.
"It is safe to say, buying 7 years worth of heartworm prevention is still cheaper than treating your dog for heartworm infection." - Dr Claire Tan, Chief Veterinary Surgeon, Gaia Vets
Save yourself from heartache and don't let heartworms wiggle their way into your furkid. If you want to learn more about the heartworm lifecycle, watch this video.
For more information on other parasites that can infect your dog, click here.
