Heartworm disease is a serious condition that can result in organ failure and death if left untreated. Today, our Port Jefferson vets explain the importance of preventing heartworm disease in your pet.

Heartworm Disease in Pets

Heartworm disease is spread through mosquito bites and is primarily caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis.

Pets including dogs, cats, and ferrets may become hosts for heartworms, meaning the parasitic worms live, mate, and produce offspring in the animal's body. The illness is called heartworm disease because the worms live in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels of an infected pet.

Symptoms of Heartworm Disease

Symptoms of heartworm disease typically don't appear until the disease is advanced. The most common symptoms of heartworm disease include swollen abdomen, coughing, fatigue, weight loss, and difficulty breathing.

How Vets Detect Heartworm Disease

Your vet can complete blood tests to detect heartworm proteins (antigens), which are released into the animal's bloodstream. Heartworm proteins can't be detected until about five months (at the earliest) after an animal is bitten by an infected mosquito.

What Happens After a Heartworm Diagnosis

Heartworm treatment varies between cats and dogs. Heartworm treatment is often lengthy, uncomfortable, and potentially dangerous for your pet—and expensive for you. This is why we say prevention is the absolute best treatment for heartworm disease.

If your pet is diagnosed with heartworm, your vet will discuss potential treatment options with you. For dogs, an FDA-approved medication (melarsomine dihydrochloride), which contains arsenic, will be given via a series of injections into your dog's back muscles. This treatment option is toxic to cats so your vet will discuss alternative therapies with you.

Heartworms can live in dogs for 5-7 years while they typically only live for 2-3 years in cats.