Heartworm disease

     The southeast a hot spot of a multitude of pests and diseases.  One of the most important issues facing our pets is heartworm disease.  Heartworms are, literally, worms that reside in the heart and associated vessels of both dogs and cats.  Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos.  The life cycle begins in an infected dog with circulating immature forms of the heartworm that are taken up into the mosquito along with a blood meal.  Inside the mosquito these go through several larval cycles.  The mosquito then feeds again and injects these larval stages into your pet.  These larval stages migrate through the body until they reach the heart and finish their maturation process into adult worms.  These worms interfere with the heart and associated blood vessels, leading to a host of consequences including potential death.  One of the most common clinical signs of active heartworm disease is coughing.  The only way to diagnose heartworms in dogs is a simple blood test (diagnostics for cats are much more difficult).  Should your pet test positive for heartworms, treatment is availabe.  All dogs should have yearly heartworm testing, and a current (within one year) negative heartworm test is required to refill heartworm prevention for dogs.  In our geographic location, heartworms are considered endemic, and monthly prevention should be given each month throughout the entire year.  There is a misconception that only outdoor dogs are susceptible to heartworms; this is a fallacy.  Every dog is susceptible, as there is no such thing as a mosquito free environment.  We also recommend monthly heartworm protection year round for cats, but to due to species differences cats do not require yearly heartworm testing.  There are a multitude of products available on a prescription basis that are extremely effective for the prevention of heartworms in your pet.  It should be noted that there several holistic methods purported for heartworm prevention, none of which have any scientific basis of support.