Heartworm Protection For Your Dog

May 18, 2008 - With the change of season and the warmer weather, dogs are at higher risk of receiving heartworm.  This is because heartworms are parasites that are transmitted through a dog getting a mosquito bite.  Mosquitoes ingest immature heartworms called microfilaria.  When a dog gets a mosquito bite, the immature heartworms are transmitted to dogs, and then develops into a mature heartworm that resides near the vessels of the heart and lungs.

A mature heartworm can grow to be 12 - 14 inches in size.  The infection could lead to your dog having symptoms such as: coughing, fatigue, fainting spells, trouble breathing, all eventually leading to heart failure. 

Veterinary offices can provide you with prevention medication that is to be given to your dog once a month such as chewable beef treats, tablets or topical products, all of which works to kill off any immature heartworms that may have been received from the prior month.  Though you may already be giving your dog its monthly heartworm prevention medication, it's recommended to bring your dog in for an annual blood test just to make sure they are not infected. 

If your dog does happen to be infected with heartworm, there is medication available called immiticide that kills mature heartworms.  Your dog will need to be hospitalized when undergoing treatment.  After your dog has received treatment, it will need have a lot of rest, can only go on leash walks - no running, so that the body can breakdown the mature heartworms in the bloodstream. 

Source: "Pet Tip: Protect dog from deadly heartworms", rrstar.com