Austin Animal Clinic

Heartworms

Heartworms are parasitic roundworms that infect an animal’s heart and, if left untreated, will lead to congestive heart failure. They spread from host to host via mosquito bites. While they typically infect dogs, they have also been known to infect cats, wolves, coyotes, foxes, ferrets, sea lions, and even humans. Ferrets, sea lions, and humans are rarely infected.

The occurrence of heartworms used to be confined to the southern portion of the United States but has since spread to the rest of the country. Infections have been known to take place in all states except for Alaska. The parasites have also been found in Southern Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Unfortunately for pet owners, dogs do not show clinical signs of infection until the heartworms reach their mature stage. Some dogs may show very few symptoms even after the heartworms have reached maturity. These dogs typically have a light infection and an inactive lifestyle. The symptoms of a heartworm infection include coughing when exercising, early exhaustion during exercise, severe weight loss, fainting, coughing up blood, and, eventually, congestive heart failure.

Before an infected dog can be treated to get rid of the heartworms, the dog must be evaluated based on kidney, liver, and heart function. This is done to evaluate all of the risks of treatment. Once the dog has been evaluated, the worms are typically killed off with an arsenic-based compound. Following this treatment, the dog must remain quiet for the next couple of weeks. This is done to ensure that the worms are safely dealt with by the dog’s body rather than breaking loose and leading to respiratory failure.

Treatment typically takes several weeks. After the mature worms are killed, a second type of treatment is started which is meant to kill off the immature heartworms. Treatment is considered finished and a success when the tests for heartworms show nothing.

While heartworms, in many instances, can be treated, it is better to give the dog a monthly preventative. For more information on heartworms and preventing them, contact your Austin veterinary clinic.