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HEARTWORM
DISEASE
IN DOGS
All
information contained on thise page is offered as a helpful
service.
It it not intended as medical counsel or taking the place of
professional guidance.
Please seek the services of a competent veterinarian
if you suspect your dog could be infected with heartworms. |
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Mosquitoes transmit heartworms from one infected animal to another.
(i.e. A mosquito bites a dog which has heartworms. The
mosquito then has that dog's blood in it's system. In a while any
animal it bites could easily become infected as a result of the
infected blood from the first dog ...leading to contamination of
the second dog with tiny heartworm "babies" (larvae).
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Baby
heartworms (larvae) are in jected with blood from a mosquito,
they then migrate and mature for several months (about 6)
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The number of heartworms in a dog
can range from 1 upwards to nearly 300!
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Adult
heartworms grow to 9-14" long and live in the right side of a
dog’s heart
and/or in the arteries going to the lungs (pulmonary arteries).
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As heartworms grow in size and number, they restrict blood flow
and can cause organ damage particularly to the heart and lungs.
An animal with heartworms can die if not treated early in the
disease.
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SYMPTOMS don't
always tell the story!!
Depending on the severity of the infestation,
and can include none, any or all of the following:
Cough, low tolerance for exercise, difficult
breathing,
abnormal heart & lung sounds, enlargement of the liver,
weight loss, vomiting and even temporary loss of consciousness
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Heartworms caught in the earlier stages
can be successfully treated with drugs that
kill the adult heart worms and larvae. The milder the case of
the disease,
the higher the chance for complete recovery.
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It is very important for a dog to
have an annual checkup which includes
testing for heartworms and a preventative program to avoid infection.
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Back to the Bichon Frise Information Station
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