When do dogs need heartworm medicine

Some products are even effective in treating external parasites such as fleas, ticks, ear mites, and the mite that causes scabies. However, it is important to realize that no single product will eliminate all species of internal and external parasites, and you should consult your veterinarian to determine the best product for your pet.

The risk of puppies and kittens getting heartworm disease is equal to that of adult pets. 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.

Ferrets are started on a preventive when they weigh at least two pounds. The dosage of a heartworm medication is based on body weight, not age. Puppies and kittens grow rapidly in their first months of life, and the rate of growth—especially in dogs—varies widely from one breed to another. That means a young animal can gain enough weight to bump it from one dosage range to the next within a matter of weeks.

Ask your veterinarian for advice about anticipating when a dosage change will be needed. If your pet is on a monthly preventive, you may want to buy just one or two doses at a time if a dosage change is anticipated note that there is a sustained-release injectable preventive available for dogs 6 months of age or older. Also make sure to bring your pet in for every scheduled well-puppy or well-kitten exam, so that you stay on top of all health issues, including heartworm protection.

Confirm that you are giving the right heartworm preventive dosage by having your pet weighed at every visit. Heartworms have been found in all 50 states, although certain areas have a higher risk of heartworm than others.

Some very high-risk areas include large regions, such as near the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and along river tributaries. Most states have "hot spots" where the heartworm infection rate is very high compared with other areas in the same state. For a variety of reasons, even in regions of the country where winters are cold, the American Heartworm Society is now recommending a year-round prevention program. Dogs have been diagnosed with heartworms in almost every county in Minnesota, and there are differences in the duration of the mosquito season from the north of the state and the south of the state.

Mosquito species are constantly changing and adapting to cold climates and some species successfully overwinter indoors as well. Year-round prevention is the safest, and is recommended. Remember too that many of these products are de-worming your pet for intestinal parasites that can pose serious health risks for humans. There are different climates in Arizona, including micro-climates such as irrigated fields, backyard ponds, and man-made golf courses, which affect the severity and duration of the mosquito season.

We also know that areas can have heartworm infection in wild species such as coyotes, and these infected wild animals can be a source of infection to your dog or cat as well.

Despite the fact that heartworm disease may not be diagnosed as often in Arizona as in some other states, it is definitely present. In fact, heartworm disease has been found in nearly every county in the state. The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round prevention, even in states like Arizona. And remember, if your dog or cat travels out of state with you or to another part of Arizona where mosquitoes are common, they may be at higher risk of exposure.

At this time, there is not a commercially available vaccine for the prevention of heartworm disease in dogs or cats. However, research scientists are looking at this possibility. Right now, heartworm disease can only be prevented through the regular and appropriate use of preventive medications, which are prescribed by your veterinarian. These medications are available as a once-a-month chewable, a once-a-month topical, and either a once or twice-a-year injection.

You should determine the best option for your pet by talking with your veterinarian. Many of the medications have the added benefit of preventing other parasites as well.

Only heartworm prevention products that are tested and proven effective by the U. Heartworm disease is very complex and can affect many vital organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver. As a result, the outcome of infection varies greatly from patient to patient. The adult worms cause inflammation of the blood vessels and can block blood flow leading to pulmonary thrombosis clots in the lungs and heart failure. Heartworm disease can also lead to liver or kidney failure.

Dogs that are exposed to a large number of infective larvae at once are at great risk of sudden death due to massive numbers of developing larvae bombarding the vascular system. Other animals may live for a long time with only a few adult heartworms and show no clinical signs unless faced with an environmental change, such as an extreme increase in temperature, or another significant health problem. The age of the dog is just one factor affecting the success of heartworm treatment.

Older dogs with long-term heartworm infections may have damage to their lungs, hearts, livers, and kidneys that can complicate heartworm treatment. Yes, it is recommended in the American Heartworm Society's Guidelines to do so. This should be done under the direct supervision of a veterinarian because dogs with microfilaria baby worms in the blood that the mosquito picks up when feeding could possibly have a reaction to the preventive. And while this is an extra-label use of heartworm preventives, it is appropriate under the supervision of a veterinarian.

However, it is important that your veterinarian assesses the severity of the disease and chooses the proper preventive accordingly. By starting the prevention program you are ensuring that your dog will not get a new heartworm infection while being treated for the existing heartworm disease. Furthermore, you are helping to keep your dog from being a source of heartworm larvae microfilaria for mosquitoes to pick up and eventually infect other dogs.

This approach makes the treatment of the existing infection more effective. Your veterinarian is recommending what is best. Only one drug, which is called melarsomine, is approved by the U. Food and Drug Administration FDA for treatment of heartworm infection in dogs; this drug should be administered by injection in the veterinary hospital.

Cage rest and drastically restricted exercise during this period can decrease the chances of complications from treatment. Along with melarsomine, the heartworm treatment protocol recommended by the American Heartworm Society includes several other medications that help improve the chances of treatment success and reduce the incidence of side effects. Human lymphatic filariasis, a disease caused by cousins of the heartworm, is transmitted by mosquitoes that bite infected people.

The disease induced—elephantiasis—is horrible. Small thread-like worms live in the lymphatics and cause severe disfiguring and immobilizing disease in their human hosts.

The World Health Organization is leading the charge to eradicate these parasites through "mass drug administration strategies for disease elimination. Dwight D. Heartgard Plus.

Heartworms are a serious threat. Available at: heartgard. National Cancer Institute. Cancer Trends Progress Report— Update. Available at: www. Environmental Protection Agency. Arsenic in drinking water. Postadulticide changes in Dirofilaria immitis -infected Beagles.

Am J Vet Res ; Levine ND. It takes around seven months for them to grow into adult heartworms, but once they do, they are capable of reproducing. Since they have such a long lifespan, it is possible for single heartworm to reproduce many times. As such, it is not surprising that the number of worms in a dog can grow rapidly.

If you have two dogs and only one has heartworms, there is no risk of them passing the disease on to your other pet. Although dogs are the natural host for heartworms, they can also affect cats, ferrets, foxes, and wolves. As a dedicated and compassionate owner, you will invariably want to do all you can to keep your dog safe from this awful disease. The good news is that heartworms are entirely preventable. Before you can start your dog on preventative medications, he first needs to be tested for heartworms.

Even in places where mosquitoes are bad. Again, remember, the goal of heartworm meds is to kill the larvae before they grow up. It means … your dog could have heartworms in his body. Think about wild dogs like wolves, coyotes or foxes. Wild dogs are healthier because they eat natural diets. Steps 1 and 2 will keep most healthy dogs heartworm free.

But you may want a layer of extra protection, especially if you live in a high mosquito area … or your dog is new to the natural lifestyle! There are some pre-made herbal heartworm products you can buy.

So they have to be a bit subtle in the language they use to describe their product. This means you might have to call the company to find out if their product really protects from heartworm. A professional can recommend a protocol to protect your dog from heartworm. You can find a holistic veterinarian who uses western herbs in their practice. Search at ahvma. You can give most dogs drops of tincture 3 times a day, for 3 days before and 3 days after your outing. Most vets recommend testing for heartworm once a year, in spring.

And that means you can start treating him at an earlier stage. The regular test your vet does is an antigen test. Here are the shortcomings of this test. And official recommendations have changed. In the past, vets only did it if the antigen test was positive or weak-positive. The AHS now recommends doing the microfilariae test annually.

This avoids false negatives on the antigen test. A positive microfilariae test confirms there are mature heartworms in your dog. Those two are the tests your vet likely knows about. The place to get this test is HealthGene in Canada. The test is the D Canine Heartworm Diofilaria immitis test on this page. HealthGene confirms that the test identifies heartworms at all stages. That means it shows microfilariae, larvae and adult heartworms. Your vet can order the test kits here.

Again … when an infected mosquito infects your dog, it transmits larvae. The larvae take months to grow into adults. Finding the larvae vs adult heartworms means the infection is much easier to treat. And not every single month. Or you could use a herbal remedy instead. Next best is the regular antigen test your vet does. So they test in spring, before prescribing heartworm meds for the next season.

Your vet waits until several months after the end of mosquito season. But if peak mosquito season where you live is during summer months June through August … your dog could test positive as early as December or January.