- Adult Heartworms live in the right side of the heart.
- They are 6-14 inches long, and several hundred may be present in an infected dog!
- Heartworms impair blood circulation, resulting in damage to the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Serious damage may occur, before outward clinical signs are present.
- Advanced signs include difficulty breathing, coughing, tiring easily, exercise intolerance, listlessness, loss of weight, and syncope (fainting).
- Heartworms are found in all 50 states.
Mosquitos Spread Heartworms
A dog with heartworm disease cannot infect another dog without the help of a mosquito. Adult heartworms in an infected dog reproduce to form microfilaria. When a mosquito bites an infected dog it ingests these microfilaria and incubates them to an infectious stage that is inoculated into the next animal that the mosquito feeds on. If that animal is a dog, then it will be infected with heartworm disease. It takes 3 to 6 months for adult heartworms to develop in a dog after the bite of an infected mosquito. Heartworms occur in all breeds of dogs: large and small, short-haired and long-haired, inside-dogs and outside-dogs. Heartworms also are known to infect cats. Diagnosis of Heartworms is by a blood test. Treatment is successful when the disease is detected early.
Heartworm Disease can be Prevented!
Heartworm disease IS present in our area. Hundreds of dogs are unnecessarily infected every year in the Chicago-land area. We strongly recommend heartworm prevention (Heartgard Plus® or Proheart®), which also aids in the prevention of other internal parasites. Heartworm prevention should be given year round. Routine testing for heartworms once each year is suggested for all dogs!