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Heartworm - Why I Don't Give My Dog Heartworm Meds

The influencers in our lives regarding our pets’ health is numerous: veterinarians, breeders, dog walkers/sitters, next door neighbour, sister-in-law, pet store employees, pharma, big pet food manufacturers and the list goes on. So much comes at us. Effective marketing and advertising can also get in the way...

They have all proven to be effective at killing the baby larva and preventing heartworm from forming. However, the downside to these meds is that most are really a pesticide you are putting into your dog.

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 Changing The Conversation On Heartworm Disease in Dogs

Heartworm disease is happy anywhere. It only takes one mosquito bite to be infected. After being passed from an infected mosquito to a dog, the worm larvae transfer into the dog’s bloodstream and being to mature into adult worms. It can take about six to seven months for the worms to mature. Once nestled into a dog’s heart, heartworms can live and thrive wherever that dog may go. From Antarctica to Brisbane, once a dog has heartworm disease, it doesn’t matter where the dog lives. Heartworms don’t care.

Articles of Interest

A comparative analysis of heartworm medication use patterns for dogs that also receive ectoparasiticides

The use of a longer-acting flea and tick product by dog owners may lead to a slight increase in purchased heartworm protection but this increase is not likely to be biologically significant. On average, dog owners in this study who purchase canine flea and tick medication also purchased over 7 months of heartworm protection per year. The proportion of dog owners who bought one monthly dose to twelve monthly doses of heartworm medication in a year were also similar.

Avoid turmoil when testing for heartworm disease

Heartworm disease is accompanied by few, if any, clinical signs, so proper diagnostic testing is a must. Here’s the 411 for veterinary professionals on which tests to use (and why), including the best tests for cats.

Everything You Need To Know About Heartworm In Dogs

Dogs can only get heartworms from one source: infected mosquitos. That can feel a little overwhelming, since mosquitos are practically everywhere. But dogs can’t get a heartworm infection from other dogs, luckily, and mosquitos are the only way a dog can get heartworms.

Get a handle on heartworm disease

Having a solid understanding of the heartworm life cycle—and the damage this disease can do—is the first step in getting pet owners on the right track with treatment.

Keep the Worms Out of Your Pet’s Heart! The Facts about Heartworm Disease

The severity of heartworm disease is related to how many worms are living inside the dog (the worm burden), how long the dog has been infected, and how the dog’s body is responding to the presence of the heartworms.

Resources

American Heartworm Society

Many recent breakthroughs are making diagnosis and treatment of this disease easier.