Heartworm testing is recommended for all dogs once a year. Heartworms are parasites that live in the large vessels of the heart and lungs as adult and circulate in the blood stream as larvae (juveniles). Animals get infected with heartworms by the bite of a mosquito that picked it up from a previously infected dog. Cats, ferrets, and dogs can be infected, with dogs being the usual host. Detection of heartworm is done by a testing a small amount of blood for proteins found on the outside of the female heartworm.
Dogs over six months of age should be blood tested once a year:
- in the spring and use monthly prevention from May through December or
- any time of year and use monthly prevention year round.
Cats that go outdoors can be protected by monthly application of feline Revolution. This excellent product kills fleas and intestinal parasites and prevents infection from heartworm. There is no cure for heartworms in the cat, and the most common symptom is vomiting.
Puppies less than six months of age should start monthly prevention right away and be tested the following year.
There are many choices for prevention including oral medications, such as Heartgard, Interceptor, Triheart, and Iverhart. These medications also prevent intestinal parasites but not fleas.
The topical preventative is Revolution, and it kills fleas and intestinal parasites as well. If your dog tests positive for Heartworm, it is treatable, and the sooner the disease is caught, the less damage is done to the heart and vessels.
