July is Heartworm Awareness Month

20% discount on all heartworm testing and prevention for the month of July

What is Heartworm Disease?

Heartworm Disease is caused by the blood parasite Dirofilaria immitis. Immature heartworms are transmitted to a healthy animal by a mosquito that has recently ingested blood from an infected animal. These take 6 months to develop in the bloodstream into adult heartworms, which then travel to the right side of the heart and pulmonary artery where they take up residence. A single adult heartworm can grow up to one foot in length. There can be anywhere from a few to several dozen adult heartworms living in an infected animal’s heart. Without treatment, heartworm disease is almost always fatal.

Symptoms

Early on in the disease there may be no obvious symptoms. Once the infection becomes established, the animal may experience coughing, exercise intolerance, abnormal lung sounds, difficulty breathing, enlargement of the liver, abnormal heart sounds, fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity, and temporary loss of consciousness due to poor blood flow to the brain.

Diagnosis

Heartworm disease can be detected by a simple blood test. A small amount of blood is taken and processed here in the clinic while you wait. Results take no more than 15 minutes. A negative test means that there is no heartworm infection, and your animal will then be prescribed a monthly heartworm preventative, either in the form of a pill or a topical spot-on product.

Treatment

If your animal tests positive for heartworm disease, your veterinarian will discuss the treatment plan with you. Other tests may be recommended to determine the severity of the infection, such as chest x-rays or an ultrasound, prior to initiating treatment.

Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm cases are on the rise in San Diego, and all outdoor dogs (and cats) are at risk for exposure. All it takes for your pet to be infected is a mosquito source and an infected animal living nearby. At San Diego Pet Hospital, we now recommend an annual heartworm test and monthly heartworm preventative for all dogs that spend time outdoors.

Test your dog today!