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Heartworm Disease

Learn about heartworm disease, a serious condition that affects dogs and can lead to organ failure. Discover the facts, lifecycle, and treatment options for heartworms. Find out how to prevent heartworm disease and protect your furry family member.

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Heartworm Disease

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  1. Heartworm Disease By: Kelsy Edwards kelsy.henry@smail.astate.edu

  2. What is Heartworm Disease? • Heartworm disease is a serious disease that results in lung, heart and other organ failure. • Heartworm disease is spread through ONE bite of a mosquito on a dog that is not on heartworm preventive.

  3. Heartworm Disease Facts Heartworms live in the right side of the heart Significant damage is done before pets show signs or symptoms Heartworm disease is detected by a small blood sample taken at your Vets Office • Heartworms that live in the lungs or blood vessels can grow more than 12 inches long • Heartworm parasites live between 5-7 years in a dog • The parasites are transmitted from one dog to another by the bite of an infected mosquito

  4. Lifecycle of a Heartworm • Female mosquito takes blood from infected host • Mosquito feeds on a dog • The larvae then molts under the skin of the new host (your dog) • Over 50-70 days the larvae migrate into juvenile adults • They move into the blood vessels and turn into sexually active adults • The adult heartworm then breeds and releases immature heartworms in to the blood steam in 6-9 months after infection by mosquito

  5. Pesky Mosquitos Carry human diseases like Malaria and Zika Earliest case of Heartworm Disease was in South America in 1847 This is NOT new and they are NOT leaving! • It only takes ONE infected mosquito bite to transmit heartworms • Over 70 species of mosquitos can transmit the disease • Indoor pets can be bitten as well

  6. Top 3 Heartworm Positive States • #1 Louisiana • #2 Mississippi • #3 ARKANSAS

  7. What Do We Do? • Fortunately, this disease is ENTIRELY preventable through the use of monthly heartworm prevention. • Yearly testing is recommended to ensure your pet is heartworm free. • Prevention is almost 100% effective when used properly. • Prevention can be purchased from your Veterinarian.

  8. Heartworm Preventative Advantage Multi (topical) Heartgard (oral) Trifexis (oral) Proheart (Injection) Heartworm prevention must be given YEAR ROUND • Available/Administered by Licensed Veterinarians ONLY • Topically • Orally • Injectable

  9. Heartworm Disease Prevention Treatment Prolonged Expensive Painful 15 times more costly than 1 year of heartworm preventative • Easy • Pain free • Affordable • Much easier to prevent heartworms from infecting your dog than it is to treat your infected dog

  10. Heartworm Disease Treatment Treatment After treatment Pets are not immune and still require year round prevention Damage has still been done the to the heart and lungs May need to continue supportive therapy and therapeutic diets • Immiticide is injected next to the spine • Takes several months to kill the heartworms • Strict confinement and bed rest

  11. Heartworms I dissected from a deceased heartworm positive dog

  12. April is Heartworm Disease Prevention Month. Our Pets, Our Family Spread the word… NOT heartworms

  13. Sources www.heartwormsociety.org www.banfield.com www.heartworm.com

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