Heartworms

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Canine Heartworms & Intestinal Parasites

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Canine Heartworms & Intestinal Parasites

Heartworm disease is a parasitic disease that can affect any dog at any age, sex, or habitat. It is found in almost all portions of the US and many parts of Canada. Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes, and tend to have a higher incidence in areas heavily populated by mosquitoes. dogs are considered the most common host for heartworms; however, heartworms may also infect more than thirty species of animals (including coyotes, foxes, wolves, domestic cats, ferrets) and even humans, through transmission from animal to human is extremely rare.

What are Heartworms?

Adult heartworms (parasites,) are about four to twelve inches long (average six) and live in the blood of the heart and adjacent blood vessels. they reach maturity after one year of infection and live for 5 to 7 years. Adult male and female worms produce thousands of microscopic baby worms. These baby heartworms (microfilariae) do not grow up in the Get your pet tested yearly for Heartworms at Klima Small Animal Clinic dog where they were born. If they did, the dog would quickly die and that would be the end of the heartworms.

Next, a female mosquito bites an infected dog, sucking up microfilariae. During the next month, the heartworm microfilariae grow (larvae stage.)

When, the mosquito bites another dog the microfilariae (larvae,) are transmitted to the new host.

Heartworms are the most serious common parasite for dogs, because it stresses the dog's heart by restricting blood flow as well as damaging other major organs. the heart may become enlarged and weaken due to an increased workload, and congestive heart failure may occur. Left untreated, the disease can be fatal for your dog.

Yearly blood screening can verify the presence of heartworms. Radiographs and X-rays are used to detect the disease in its later stages. Early detection helps to prevent needless suffering.

Canine Heartworm Symptoms

Difficulty Breathing

Coughing

Fatigue, a dog that tires easily

Listlessness

Weight Loss

Rough Hair Coat

Heartworm Treatment & Prevention

Most dogs with heartworms can be successfully treated, usually with drugs that kill adult heartworms and their offspring. But prevention is the best cure - it's safer, less expensive, and better for your pet.

There are a variety of drugs used for heartworm prevention, all of them highly effective and easy to use. You have your choice between a monthly good-tasting pill, a monthly application to the skin (bath.) All are highly effective. In Waterloo, we don't have mosquitoes year around, and although we could theoretically skip the medication when it is sufficiently cold, the weather is different every year. Klima Small Animal Clinic recommends heartworm medication once a month, year around, permanently.

Heartworms are dangerous for your pet, Get your heartworm meds at Klima Small Animal Clinic

Dogs vs. Cats

	Dogs	Cats
Parasite	Dirofilaria immitis	Dirofilaria immitis
Transmission	Mosquito	Mosquito
Susceptibility to infection	Very high - virtually 100% of dogs exposed to infective larvae become infected	Lower than dogs - 61% to 90% of cats exposed to infective larvae become infected
Longevity of worms	5-7 years	2-3 years
Ectopic infections (other than typical locations)	Occasionally	Not uncommon
Number of worms	Not uncommon to find more than 30	Usually less than 6, 1-2 worms most common
Single-sex infections in moderate - to high areas	Unusual	Common
Microfilaremia	• Persistent • Very common (80%-90%) • Can last years, even after death of adult worms	• Transient • Seen in only 20% of cats • Lasts about 1 month
Organ with greatest pathology	Heart and lungs	Lungs
Clinical importance of small worm burdens	Little clinical importance, depending upon size of dog and exercise level	Potentially fatal
Diagnosis	Relatively simple	Complex
Treatment	• 1 compound approved • Complications manageable	• None approved • High risk of complications
Compounds for prevention	Several approved in US	3 approved in US

American Heartworm Society

Heartworm Infection 2003

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Canine Intestinal Parasites

Can you catch heartworms and other parasites from your pet?

Mosquitoes transmit heartworms, not pets. Humans are unnatural hosts for heartworms, needless to say cases are rare. Many heartworm preventatives for pets do eliminate other parasites such as hookworms, whipworms, and roundworms, which are common to humans. Parasites which are transmitted from animals to humans are known as parasitic zoonoses.

Hookworms

Hookworm infection occurs through ingestion or skin penetration of the larvae of the hookworm found in stools or soil contaminated by feces of an infected animal. The larvae develop and move into the intestinal tract where they hook onto the intestinal wall and eat the host's blood. The larvae can penetrate the skin and infect humans. In a human host, the hookworm moves around under the skin and eventually dies causing an inflammatory skin reaction known as cutaneous larva migrans, or "creeping eruptions."

Roundworms

Roundworms are parasitic worms that like the name are round in shape. they live in the dog's intestines and consume partially digested food. they do not attach themselves to the intestinal wall, like the hookworm, more over, they virtually swim in their food. Adult worms look like spaghetti and may come out in feces and or vomit of infected dogs. Transmission to dogs is through eggs in feces., eating a prey animal that is a host (usually rodents.) mother's milk, or in utero. In canines roundworms cause diarrhea, vomiting and in some cases pneumonia and intestinal obstruction. In humans, they can cause a serious condition known as visceral larva migrans. most infected humans are children who are infected when putting contaminates in their mouths. Once ingested, the roundworm larvae, tries to complete it's lifecycle. The larvae virtually gets lost in the human body, and usually in the eye, dies and generates an inflammatory reaction that can cause blindness. Proper hand washing can prevent infection. Pet deworming of puppies and preventative medication will help to reduce the environmental contamination.

Whipworms

Ingesting Whipworm eggs is the only real way a dog can become infected. When a dog walks on ground infected by eggs, they are picked up on the paws, and then travel to the mouth when he licks his paws or any contaminated toys or food bowls. Whipworm eggs can survive extreme exterior conditions for months and even years. Within 1 to 3 months after the eggs are swallowed they hatch in the dog's intestine. attach themselves to the wall and begin to suck blood and lay more eggs. they can cause diarrhea, weight loss, and in some cases anemia. infestation of humans is extremely rare.

BE SAFE

Frequent hand washing is a good preventative for contracting animal parasites, as well as routine check ups of your pet family members at Klima Small Animal Clinic for worms and heartworms. Reducing the risk for all family members is the best preventative from Intestinal Parasites and Canine Heartworms.

Klima small Animal clinic endorsees the following Heartworm/Intestinal parasite products.

For more information, stop in at Klima Small Animal Clinic and pick up a brochure or visits these websites.

Interceptor Flavor Tabs for Intestinal parasites (heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whip worms.)

For more information about

Interceptor Flavor Tabs

Sentinel Flavor Tabs for Flea control, Intestinal Parasites (heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whip worms.) For more information about

Sentinel Flavor Tabs

Advantage Multi for Dogs for Flea control, Intestinal Parasites (heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, and whip worms.) For more information about Advantage Multi for Dogs