If you ever brought your pooch to the tropics (or even the coastal Mediterranean) you've probably heard of the cringe worthy mystery parasite- heartworm.
What is it and why to be so scared of it?
It is a worm which spreads among dogs via mosquitoes. Without going further in it's biological cycle, let's stick to the facts that directly affect your dog.
1. It is not dangerous for people.
2. It will not mysteriously appear in your dog's heart without being introduced by a mosquito first.
3. You will not know when your dog gets infected and regular twice a year testing is your best bet.
4. If detected by a heartworm test, your options of treatment are limited.
5. Once the worm reaches the adult stage which lives in the heart, lungs and big blood vessels, even when killed, they stay where they were and can cause sudden death and various complications.
The easiest thing to do is keep your dog on heartworm preventative medication regularly. This prevents the worm larvae to reach the adult stage.
If you have not been aware of the risk your dog has been exposed to, most veterinary clinics where heartworm is endemic (geographically present) will have a quick test which gives results in as little as 10 minutes.
If your dog has been unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with this parasite he will undergo a long treatment. Different clinicians recommend different medication schedules, all based on one important premise:
If the worm(s) are killed abruptly, the animal's immune system will suddenly become aware of these large foreign bodies swimming in the heart chambers and react with an often deadly anaphylactic schock. Basically, it is hard to say if the worms are a worse nuisance dead or alive, because either way, they will stay where they are and cause problems.
Sudden death of your pet possibly being one of them.
After the test outcome had been unfavorable, your veterinarian might suggest hospitalization of your pet during the first 24 hrs. This is to initialize the treatment and monitor the effects it will have on the animal. It is impossible to know how many worms there are in the heart (and trust me, these are actual proper size worms with females reaching 12 inches/ 30ish cm in length) but it can vary between 1-250 individuals (worms). The treatment will sometimes start with an antihistamine followed by administration of heartworm preventative medicine and topped up by oral medication known under 'slow kill' method. Some veterinarians will suggest injection-type treatment, which holds more risk to the dog but could arguably be more effective. The cycles of medication your dog will go through can vary either monthly every three months for a year, or some other protocol your vet found being more appropriate. It is a long time on medication, with the most frustrating notion for you as an owner; 'these parasites will stay in my dog's heart forever, and this medication can turn south at any time'. The only way to get the worms out is heart surgery. For the brave one's, the link is below.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phCod-0tfkE)
The only person who can get excited about the idea of surgical removal of heartworm out of your animal is your veterinary cardiology surgeon, but I bet even they cringe while operating.
Who else is at risk?
Cats and ferrets. To a much lesser extent, but the risk is there. Enough for you to keep them on their preventative medicine. People are not a natural host to this parasite and even if bitten by a mosquito carrying the larvae, most of the larvae will die on their way to the heart.
What to do?
If you never had your dog or cat on preventatives for heartworm, and you want to start, do a heartworm test first. Your vet will take you step by step from there.
If you already have your Fido or Mrs Mittens on preventatives?
Good for you! 👍 Give yourself a 'good job' sticker and carry on with what you were doing.
Always read the instructions of the product, talk to your vet, buy the proper size and keep a reminder in your calendar. I advise you to not get tempted by 'natural' and 'over the counter' products you could find online or in your local grocery store. This kind of medication, if we are looking to use the chemistry which will actually prevent infestation, is always prescription only medication. Using a type of mosquito repellent is unreliable, and I wouldn't recommend it. Besides, the chemistry that kills the heart worm larvae will also come in handy against other types of endo-parasites.
Test all your dog's and cats in the endemic area twice a year. And if you do all that, you don't have to Google the nasty pictures of heart worm😱 and worry about them every time you look at your dog/ cat.
Made you look, didn't I?