Heartworm is caused by Dirofilaria immitis, a blood parasitic disease transmitted by mosquito bites. It can infect dogs of any age. It has also been found in cats. Foreign research reports It is shown that the proportion of stray cats suffering from heartworm disease is 4-15%. Since cats have small hearts, once they suffer from this disease, the mortality rate is much higher than that of dogs.

Heartworm adult worms parasitize the right heart and pulmonary artery of dogs and cats. The adult worms will produce larvae and circulate in the blood. Mosquitoes will carry heartworms after biting dogs and cats infected with heartworm disease. The larvae transform into infectious larvae in the salivary glands of mosquitoes, and then infect other dogs and cats through mosquito bites. Dogs and cats can be reinfected with this disease.

Symptoms

Because the adult worms parasitize the heart, causing heart damage, gradually It affects the health of dogs and cats. Therefore, at the beginning of the disease, dogs and cats have no obvious discomfort. After a period of infection, they gradually develop intolerance to exercise, cough, and shortness of breath. In the past, they were often misdiagnosed as bronchitis or common heart disease. In the later stage, heart and lung failure, anemia, pulmonary hydrops, ascites, jaundice, liver and kidney failure occurred.

Diagnosis and Prevention

This disease requires the detection of heartworm larvae under blood smears or the heartworm rapid test kit for dogs four-in-one ( 4DX) or cat triple (Triple) to diagnose. If dogs and cats do not suffer from this disease, they can be prevented in the following three ways:

Oral method: take heartworm preventive medicine regularly every month. Some parasites in the gastrointestinal tract also have a preventive effect.

Skin Drops: Drop preventive medicine (pfizer Revolution) or Love Walker on the nape of the neck every month. In addition to preventing heartworms, these drops can also prevent fleas, ear scabies, and some stomach worms. Intestinal parasites and some ticks.

Injection method: The dog is injected after 6 to 9 months of age (recommended after one year of age), and then every year after that.

How to avoid heartworm disease

Heartworm prevention can be done in dogs and cats at four months of age. Heartworm larvae will not appear in the blood before the age of six months. Therefore, it is not necessary to test for heartworm prevention before the age of six months. It is recommended to test for infection before the age of six months. better. Regularly give dogs and cats heartworm preventive medicine to reduce the chance of being bitten by mosquitoes, which is the way to prevent this disease.

Attention

Be careful when using deworming drugs in dogs with severe heartworm infection. Heartworm parasitic in the heart may die and fall off and may block Arterial tubes can cause more serious consequences and need to be used with caution. So for the health of your pet, please deworm it on time!