Many people believe that thanks to advances in heartworm prevention in the past decade, heartworm is rarely found in Australia.
Heartworm in dogs is prevalent across Australia and can be a serious and potentially fatal condition. Knowing how to prevent heartworm is essential for all dog owners.
Heartworm was consistently found across all states and territories with highest rates of prevalence found in Queensland (36 %) and Northern Territory (90–100 %) [1, 15–18]. Current prevalence is low even in sentinel populations such as Aboriginal community dogs [19].
Queensland and New South Wales are considered to be areas of higher risk whereas rates in South Australia are low (4,5). Dogs and cats living in rural areas are more at risk of infection than their urban counterparts (6). However, it's important to stress that even indoor-only animals could become infected (5).
Heartworm disease is a very serious parasitic disease that has the potential to be fatal for your dog if he is not treated quickly. This parasite is a worm that can grow up to a foot long and lives inside the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of an infected animal where it will reproduce over and over.
Most of the monthly heartworm medicines have a safety factor of at least 15 days of protection if a dose is missed. This means that if you're just a week or two late, your pet is likely still within that window of protection and would be unlikely to become infected during that time.
NexGard SPECTRA® is a highly palatable beef-flavored chew that kills fleas before they can lay eggs, ticks and mites while eliminating gastro-intestinal worms and preventing heartworm disease, lungworm and eyeworm infections.
The most convenient and effective heartworm prevention is a yearly injection administered by your veterinarian. This can be given from 12 weeks of age, then boosted at 6 months.
There is some risk involved in treating dogs with heartworms, although fatalities are rare. "A new drug is available that does not have as many side effects, allowing successful treatment of more than 95% of dogs with heartworms."
Dogs become infected with heartworms through mosquito bites, so if you live in a climate with cold late autumns and winters, why worry about giving your dog preventive medication every single month of the year?
Yes, dogs can get heartworms in the winter. As heartworm larvae spread through mosquito bites, some people believe dogs can't get heartworm in the winter, as mosquitoes are inactive. However, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it's essential you deworm your dog year-round.
The five states with the highest incidence of heartworm were Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Alabama. In Mississippi, almost 10% of dogs tested for heartworms were heartworm positive in 2019; in Louisiana, just under 8% of dogs tested were positive.
As heartworm disease progresses, pets may develop heart failure and the appearance of a swollen belly due to excess fluid in the abdomen. Dogs with large numbers of heartworms can develop a sudden blockages of blood flow within the heart leading to a life-threatening form of cardiovascular collapse.
NexGard SPECTRA protects against fleas, ticks, mites, heartworm disease and the common intestinal worms, roundworms, hookworms and whipworms. NexGard SPECTRA has been shown to be 100% effective at preventing flea tapeworm infestation for a full month.
Proheart SR12 heartworm prevention yearly injection:
Up to 20kg – $141.00. Up to 35kg – $186.75. Up to 50kg – $232.50. Heartworm test – $67.50.
The American Heartworm Society recommends that puppies and kittens be started on a heartworm preventive as early as the product label allows, and no later than 8 weeks of age.
Use Heartworm Prevention Medication Year-Round
Although there are a fewer number of mosquitoes in the winter, there is still a risk that an animal could contract heartworms if the owner stops giving medication during this season.
Circulating heartworm antigen appears in the blood as early as five months post-infection in a small percentage of dogs, but most dogs are not antigen positive until seven months post-infection. Yes, contrary to popular belief, a dog infected six months previously can be negative on an antigen test.
Both products are safe for dogs when following directions and have been approved by the FDA to treat and prevent flea and tick infestations. However, unlike Bravecto, Nexgard has not yet been evaluated for use in breeding, pregnant, or lactating dogs.
The only drug currently available to treat infection with adult heartworms is melarsomine dihydrochloride, an arsenical compound. Appropriate treatment kills both mature and some immature heartworms.
In order to keep your pets safe from fleas and ticks, the veterinary hospital strongly recommends a medicated flea and tick prevention product like NexGard, which the hospital sells.
They can be controlled naturally with citrus oils, cedar oils, and diatomaceous earth. Dogs needing conventional treatment may benefit from herbs such as milk thistle and homeopathics such as berberis; these minimize toxicity from the medications and dying heartworms.
Melarsomine dihydrochloride (available under the trade names Immiticide and Diroban) is an arsenic-containing drug that is FDA-approved to kill adult heartworms in dogs. It's given by deep injection into the back muscles to treat dogs with stabilized class 1, 2, and 3 heartworm disease.
For dogs: Dose is 0.0015 to 0.003 mg per pound (0.003 to 0.006 mg/kg) once a month for heartworm prevention; 0.15 mg per pound (0.3 mg/kg) once, then repeat in 14 days for skin parasites; and 0.1 mg per pound (0.2 mg/kg) once for gastrointestinal parasites.