WHAT DOES HEARTWORMS LOOK LIKE?

Have you heard that heartworms are not real or that they do not cause significant disease?  This is false information,  as Dr. Bonds and Dr. Williams have treated numerous patients where the hearts have failed due to the burden of these worms.  In advanced heartworm disease, the right side of the heart can not pump blood to the lungs and pressure builds up causing fluid to leak into the abdomen.  The pulmonary vessels are also affected causing lung disease.  This is a typical picture of extreme heartworm disease!

This is a normal view of the heart of a dog.  This pet is on his back and we are looking down thru the chest.  Notice the shape of the heart and the consistent dark appearance to the lungs (air shows up dark on xrays).

This is an xray of a dog with heartworms.  Notice the bulge at the arrows (compare this with the normal xray).  This is the main pulmonary vessel - it is large because there are worms living in it.  This, along with the large right ventricle (on the left side of the screen when looking at the picture) are commonly called a "Reverse D" sign.  Also note the fuzzy areas in the lungs commonly seen with inflammation from heartworms. 

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WHY DO I NEED TO TEST EVERY YEAR?

• The testing procedure at Trinity Veterinary Hospital utilizes a 4DX test which not only tests for heartworms but screens for 3 specific tick transmitted infections (lyme disease, ehrlichia, and anaplasma).  For more information on this test click here.
• Most heartworm preventatives guarantee their product if annual testing is performed and documented.
• No prevention is 100% and continued monitoring is essential to ensure that resistance does not develop.
• Are you sure your pet is taking the prevention every single month.  One of my biggest surprises was a patient that developed heartworms that we could document every single month she had given prevention and we had tested negative for many years up until that positive test.  We were perplexed until she spring cleaned and found around 5 months of heartworm prevention UNDER HER COUCH!  Yes, some dogs are that smart!

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DO I REALLY NEED TO GIVE PREVENTION IN THE COLD MONTHS?

It only makes sense when there aren't mosquitoes out and about that we don't need to give heartworm prevention.  This is just not the case in Oklahoma!  Even though it does not happen often we have had cases at Trinity Veterinary Hospital where pets have developed heartworm disease when the owner only skipped 3 cold months.  Giving prevention for the entire 12 months is cheap insurance against this devastating and expensive disease.  

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I HAVE READ THAT HEARTWORM PREVENTION IS NOT SAFE FOR MY PET

While it is true that some collie breeds can be sensitive to the medications used in heartworm preventatives it is very safe for the majority of pets.  Even in the collie breeds it is typically considered safe as the dosage to protect against heartworms is so low that these sensitive breeds handle it well (testing is recommended before dosing and all options are discussed with owners before prescribing).  

If you are interested in learning about the gene mutation that is associated with this sensitivity please visit http://vcpl.vetmed.wsu.edu/.  Here they also answer many questions about medications that these pets may be sensitive to and even confirm that all heartworm preventions have been tested and are safe for pets with the mutation.  If higher doses are needed for treatment of other conditions however that there may be risk with those particular treatments.   

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MY PET DOESN'T NEED PREVENTION - IT NEVER GOES OUTSIDE

I truly wish this was the case!  The truth of the matter is, that in Oklahoma mosquitoes enter our homes and when they do they only have a few subjects to feed off of - you, your family, and your pets.  

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I DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT MY CAT GETTING HEARTWORMS

Heartworms can grow to adults, not only in cats but also in ferrets.  In cats it is MUCH harder to detect and the main clinical signs are usually coughing (asthma like) and gastrointestinal issues such as vomiting - not the classic clinical signs we see in dogs.  

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WHAT ALL DOES HEARTWORM PREVENTION PROTECT MY PET FROM

There are so many parasites that our pets (and us!) need protection from.  Thank goodness our heartworm prevention also protects our pets from certain intestinal parasites.  Most heartworm products are equally effective against heartworms, the difference is - what intestinal parasites they combat.  At Trinity Veterinary Hospital we recommend and carry Interceptor plus, as it contains broad-spectrum anthelmintics against roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms.  

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DID YOU KNOW HEARTWORMS CAN BE SEEN IN HUMANS TOO?

Even though it is rare, heartworms can be found in humans too.  In humans the worms usually form granulomas in the lungs as seen in the xray below!  YIKES!

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AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY BROCHURE