A veterinarian uses blood tests to check a dog for heartworms. An antigen test detects specific heartworm proteins, called antigens, which are released by adult female heartworms into the dog's bloodstream. In most cases, antigen tests can accurately detect infections with one or more adult female heartworms.
Signs of heartworm disease may include a mild persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, fatigue after moderate activity, decreased appetite, and weight loss. As heartworm disease progresses, pets may develop heart failure and the appearance of a swollen belly due to excess fluid in the abdomen.
No one wants to hear that their dog has heartworm, but the good news is that most infected dogs can be successfully treated. The goal is to first stabilize your dog if he is showing signs of disease, then kill all adult and immature worms while keeping the side effects of treatment to a minimum.
Early signs could be shortness of breath, loss of stamina, or a nagging, dry cough. As the disease progresses, breathing becomes more difficult, and in severe cases the abdomen may swell with fluid. Your dog could become lethargic and lose weight and their appetite.
Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) in dogs is considered endemic in Australia, but the clinical heartworm disease caused by the heartworm is rare and prevalence is low.
Heartworm prevalence in Australia
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).
Dogs can live for at least six to seven months after becoming infected with heartworms. This is because it takes that long for adult heartworms to grow. However, determining the exact date of infection is challenging.
Myth #3: If my pet has heartworms, I will see them in her feces. Although many worm types, such as roundworms and tiny hookworms, are shed in your pet's feces, heartworms do not live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and are not found in feces.
Six months after they bite your dog and inject those larval microfilariae heartworms into your dogs, it takes that six months for them to develop into that adult worm. So generally, it's anywhere from six to 12 months after they've been bitten; you may start noticing signs in your pet.
Not all dogs with heartworm disease develop caval syndrome. However, if left untreated, heartworm disease will progress and damage the dog's heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, eventually causing death.
Dogs with heartworm disease can live high-quality lives as long as they are given appropriate care. After completing treatment and following your veterinarian's recommenda- tions on heartworm disease testing and prevention, the chances of any long-term effects are very low.
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.
Spring time is notoriously known as “heartworm season” for many pet owners as well as “flea and tick season”. There is truth to this! Springtime is when all of the creepy crawlies begin to come out of their hibernation and start infecting our pets (and sometimes us!) to start their lifecycles.
Restrict exercise– no running, walks for exercise or rough-housing. Generally speaking, it's ok to walk your dog outside to use the restroom or to sit outside to enjoy the weather, but no walks (short or long) for exercise. Your veterinarian may have alternative recommendations.
Goose Honk Cough
The cough associated with heartworm disease in dogs is often likened to the sound of a goose honking. If your dog tends to get into coughing fits after activity or eating, and if those coughs sound harsh and honk-like, then she may have heartworm disease or another heart related concern.
Average Cost of Treatment. The average cost of heartworm treatment for dogs is often around $1,000. However, it can range from $500 to $1,100 or even more depending mainly on the size of your dog, veterinary bills, and the stage of the disease.
Slow Kill Method
While not generally recommended, another method of handling heartworms is to only attack the microfilaria, leaving existing adult heartworms to die of natural causes. This is known as the slow kill method. It's cheaper and does not require a rest period and debilitating adulticide.
A-PET-CARE Heartworm dog and cat rapid test can be performed at home. This cat and dog Heartworm test utilizes blood and requires pet's serum, plasma or whole blood sample. The Heartworm test kit an be used with or without a centrifuge.
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.
While you may suspect heartworms, you might be surprised to learn that heartworms do not live in the gastrointestinal tract and are therefore not visible in dog feces. Other worms such as hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, and tapeworms may be present in dog poop.
Use heartworm prevention medication year-round
Pets must have the proper amount of heartworm prevention medication in their blood for it to work correctly. If mosquitoes emerge early in the year, pets that haven't received heartworm prevention medication during the winter run the risk of getting heartworms.
Heartworms can also cause nosebleeds, pneumonia, high blood pressure, seizures, blindness, and excessive sleeping.
The states with the highest density of diagnosed heartworm cases in the latest survey were Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and Arkansas, said Dr.
Prognosis: heartworm treatment success rates
With the three-dose adulticide protocol described above, in conjunction with doxycycline and macrocyclic lactones as recommended by the American Heartworm Society, 98% of dogs will be cleared of heartworm infection.