One of the most common questions heard by our veterinarians during an annual wellness exam is, “Does my pet really need heartworm prevention?” To put it simply: yes! Even if your pet is considered “indoors-only,” all cats and dogs should be on a heartworm prevention medication.
Although there are fewer mosquitoes in the winter, there is still a risk that your pet could get heartworms if you stop giving heartworm prevention medication during this season. That's one reason veterinarians strongly recommend pets receive heartworm prevention medication year-round.
Yes, your dog can get heartworms multiple times. For this reason, lifetime heartworm disease prevention can be important. It is highly recommended that you talk with your veterinarian about heartworm disease prevention before making a determination about what is best for your dog.
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.
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
Dogs and cats living in rural areas are more at risk of infection than their urban counterparts (6).
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.
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.
If you forget a month of preventative, make sure to give the next 2 doses on time to "catch up" for that missed month. If you miss several months in a row, you should give your vet a call for advice on when to plan for the next heartworm test and how to get started back on preventatives.
At the Holistic Veterinary Center, we recommend seasonal heartworm prevention with oral monthly products. We recommend the Heartguard tablets as this product contains no other additional dewormers. If a dog has an allergy to this product, another form can be compounded by a compounding pharmacy.
Heartworm Prevention Is the Best Treatment
The American Heartworm Society recommends that you “think 12.” Have your dog tested for heartworms every 12 months and provide 12 months of preventative care.
It is also imperative to have your pet tested yearly for heartworms while on preventative. Heartworm preventatives are highly effective, but dogs can still become infected.
Puppies can begin heartworm preventative medication from as young as 6/8 weeks old. If your pup is a little older (age 6 months plus) it is important that she is given a heartworm test before preventative medication is given.
Interceptor is the ONLY safe heartworm prevention medication for Collies, Collie-mixes, Shelties and Sheltie-mixes. This is because Interceptor does not contain the drug ivermectin, which is known to have deadly effects in these and some other breeds. Heartworm prevention is easy.
If your dog isn't protected, a single bite from a tiny tick can make them very sick. A dose of NexGard kills ticks fast, all month long, and it's FDA-approved to prevent the infections that cause Lyme disease by killing blacked-legged ticks. NexGard chews are #1 vet-recommended for a reason.
If you missed less than 6 months of prevention we suggest you start giving the heartworm preventative immediately. Bring your dog in for a heartworm test 6 months from the first missed dose.
What should I do if I miss a dose? To keep your dog protected from parasites and avoid treatment gaps, it's important to adhere to the dosing schedule. However, if you do miss a dose, give it as soon as you remember. Then, adjust the dosing schedule so that the next dose is 30 days after the new dose.
If a dose is missed, give SIMPARICA TRIO immediately and resume monthly dosing. When replacing a monthly heartworm preventive product, SIMPARICA TRIO should be given within one month of the last dose of the former medication.
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.
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.
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.
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.
While the risk of heartworm is more prevalent in spring and summer when there are more mosquitos, a pet can get heartworm any time of year.
Heartworm disease in Australian Shepherds is caused by a parasite called Dirofilaria Immitis and is transmitted through mosquito bites. It is very important to prioritize protecting our dogs from the heartworm because it is a severe disease and potentially deadly.
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.