Serving
The Toms River Area of Ocean County New Jersey and parts of
Berkeley Township
Including:
Beachwood,
Bayville, Ocean Gate, Island Heights, Pine Beach, Whiting,
Manchester Township. parts of Lacey Township, South Toms
River, Lanoka Harbor, Forked River and Most Surrounding Toms
River Areas including parts of Berkeley Township, Seaside Park
and Island Heights
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal
condition caused by parasitic worms living in the arteries of
the lungs and occasionally in the right side of the heart of
dogs, cats and other species of mammals, including wolves,
foxes, ferrets, sea lions and (in rare instances) humans.
Heartworms are classified as nematodes (roundworms) and are
filarids, one of many species of roundworms. Dogs and
cats of any age or breed are susceptible to infection.
Where is Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm disease has been reported in all 50 states. The
map below shows particularly endemic areas based on the number
of cases reported by clinics.
History
The first published description of heartworm in dogs in the
United States appeared more than 100 years ago in an issue of
"The Western Journal of Medicine and Surgery."1
Heartworm in cats was first described in the early 1920's.2,
3
Since then, naturally acquired heartworm infection in cats
and dogs is identified as a worldwide clinical problem.
Despite improved diagnostic methods, effective preventives and
increasing awareness among veterinary professionals and pet
owners, cases of heartworm infection continue to appear in
pets around the world.
1 Osborne, TC. Worms found in the Heart and
Bloodvessels of a Dog; Symptoms of Hydrophobia. The Western
Journal of Medicine and Surgery, 1847.
2 Riley,
WA. Dirofilaria immitis in the heart of a cat. J
Parasitol 1922;9:48
3 Travassos, LP. Notas
Helminthologicas. Brazil-Med. An. 1921;35 2(6):67
How Heartworm Happens: The Life Cycle
First, adult female heartworms release their young, called
microfilariae, into an animal's bloodstream. Then, mosquitoes
become infected with microfilariae while taking blood meal
from the infected animal. During the next 10 to 14 days, the
microfilariae mature to the infective larval stage within the
mosquito. After that, the mosquito bites another dog, cat or
other susceptible animal, and the infective larvae enter
through the bite wound. It then takes a little over 6 months
for the infective larvae to mature into adult worms. In dogs,
the worms may live for up to 7 years. Microfilariae cannot
mature into adult heartworms without first passing through a
mosquito.
What Are the Signs of Heartworm Disease?
For both dogs and cats, clinical signs of heartworm disease
may not be recognized in the early stages, as the number of
heartworms in an animal tends to accumulate gradually over a
period of months and sometimes years and after repeated
mosquito bites.
Recently infected dogs may exhibit no signs of the disease,
while heavily infected dogs may eventually show clinical
signs, including a mild, persistent cough, reluctance to move
or exercise, fatigue after only moderate exercise, reduced
appetite and weight loss.
Cats may exhibit clinical signs that are very non-specific,
mimicking many other feline diseases. Chronic clinical signs
include vomiting, gagging, difficulty or rapid breathing,
lethargy and weight loss. Signs associated with the first
stage of heartworm disease, when the heartworms enter a blood
vessel and are carried to the pulmonary arteries, are often
mistaken for feline asthma or allergic bronchitis, when in
fact they are actually due to a syndrome newly defined as Heartworm
Associated Respiratory Disease (HARD).
How Do You Detect Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm infection in apparently healthy animals is
usually detected with blood tests for a heartworm substance
called an "antigen" or microfilariae, although neither test is
consistently positive until about seven months after infection
has occurred.
Heartworm infection may also occasionally be detected
through ultrasound and/or x-ray images of the heart and lungs,
although these tests are usually used in animals already known
to be infected.
Prevention
Because heartworm disease is preventable, the AHS
recommends that pet owners take steps now to talk to their
veterinarian about how to best protect their pets from this
dangerous disease. Heartworm prevention is safe, easy and
inexpensive. While treatment for heartworm disease in dogs is
possible, it is a complicated and expensive process, taking
weeks for infected animals to recover. There is no effective
treatment for heartworm disease in cats, so it is imperative
that disease prevention measures be taken for cats.
There are a variety of options for preventing heartworm
infection in both dogs and cats, including daily and monthly
tablets and chewables, monthly topicals and a six-month
injectable product available only for dogs. All of these
methods are extremely effective, and when administered
properly on a timely schedule, heartworm infection can be
completely prevented. These medications interrupt heartworm
development before adult worms reach the lungs and cause
disease.
It is your responsibility to faithfully maintain the
prevention program you have selected in consultation with your
veterinarian.
Treatment
Heartworms in the heart of a dog |
Usually, all but the most advanced cases of heartworm
disease can be successfully treated in dogs. Currently, there
are no products in the United States approved for the
treatment of heartworm infection in cats. Cats have proven to
be more resistant hosts to heartworm than dogs, and often
appear to be able to rid themselves of infection
spontaneously. Unfortunately, many cats tend to react severely
to the dead worms as they are being cleared by the body, and
this can result in a shock reaction, a life-threatening
situation. Veterinarians will often attempt to treat an
infected cat with supportive therapy measures to minimize this
reaction; however it is always best to prevent the disease.
Heartworms in the Pulmonary
Artery of a dog |
Adult heartworms in dogs are killed using a drug called an
adulticide that is injected into the muscle through a series
of treatments. Treatment may be administered on an outpatient
basis, but hospitalization is usually recommended. When the
dog is sent home, exercise should be limited to leash walking
for the duration of the recovery period, which can last from
one to two months. This decreases the risk of partial or
complete blockage of blood flow through the lungs by dead
worms.
Re-infection during treatment is prevented by
administration of a heartworm preventive. These preventives
may also eliminate microfilariae if they are present. Dogs in
heart failure and those with caval syndrome require special
attention.
