Canine Heartworm: Treatment And Prevention
Canine heartworm disease is a parasitic disease of high incidence, but it is easy to treat and prevent, however, it can be very harmful to your pet. Know how to fight it.
What Causes Canine Heartworm?
Canine heartworm is a parasitic process caused by Dirofilaria immitis , whose adult worm is located in the pulmonary artery and right ventricle of the heart, while microfilariae are found in peripheral blood. It appears in domestic and wild carnivores and is an important zoonosis.
D. dracunculoides is the most prevalent canine heartworm disease in Spain and is spread mainly from fleas or ticks, which act as invertebrate hosts.
What happens is that the mosquito ingests infected blood and inoculates microfilariae, which grow in the blood to become adults in the pulmonary artery, where they reproduce and release microfilariae, their juvenile form. In these stages, mosquitoes, ticks and fleas transmit canine heartworm disease.
Canine heartworm, main targets
Heartworm disease affects animals between three and six years old, it never appears in animals less than one year old or older than 10 years old. It is a disease that is more frequent in short-haired males, so special care must be taken with them.
Canine heartworm disease usually affects hunting dogs because, as with other diseases such as borreliosis, we talk about diseases that are transmitted by ticks, very common in these animals.
It also depends a lot on where we are: be aware if you live in areas where mosquitoes and ticks are common, especially in spring and summer.
Canine heartworm disease: what causes it and how is it diagnosed?
Adult parasites cause endarteritis, which reduces the diameter and elasticity of the vessels. They cause hypertension and right congestive heart failure, in addition to generating a vena cava syndrome and liver failure.
The diagnosis is made by the veterinarian, who will perform blood tests to check if the animal is positive in the presence of the disease. In areas where these parasites are frequent, it is recommended that the owner go to the veterinarian on a regular basis in the warmer months.
How is heartworm disease treated and prevented in dogs?
Symptomatic treatment consisting of heparin, diuretics and other drugs is required, in addition to a diet. In critical cases, surgical treatment will be necessary.
Another form of prevention is to take special care of ticks and remove them. After a bite, it is convenient to visit our trusted veterinarian, especially in so-called endemic canine heartworm areas.
In general, keeping vaccinations up to date, deworming with your veterinarian, and following these tips will be enough to keep our pets out of harm’s way for canine heartworm disease.
