All dogs are at risk considering the potentially deadly heartworm disease. This internal parasite threatens dogs, cats, and other mammals such as wolves and foxes. The infection is most common in dogs aged 1-7 years, and since symptoms appear much later, visible disease is most frequent in dogs aged 3-8 years.
How heartworm spreads
Heartworm is not transmitted directly from animal to animal; mosquitoes act as intermediaries. When a mosquito bites an infected dog, it absorbs the heartworm larvae circulating in the bloodstream, the tiny microfilariae. If that mosquito then bites another dog, it injects the tiny heartworm larvae into the dog's bloodstream, and the infection has occurred.
During the following months, the heartworm larvae continuously grow while migrating toward the heart and lungs. Adult heartworms can grow up to 30 cm in length, and the microfilariae they produce circulate in the bloodstream. Thus, this dog becomes a heartworm reservoir, and if another mosquito bites it, it picks up the small heartworm larvae from the infected dog's bloodstream and is ready to infect another dog.
Untreated heartworm disease leads to severe lung, heart, liver, and kidney problems and, in many cases, death.
Only one bite from an infected mosquito is needed for heartworm disease to develop…
The life cycle of the heartworm:
1. The mosquito bites an infected dog and consumes the animal's blood along with the heartworm larvae contained in it.
2. These larvae develop into an infective stage inside the mosquito.
3. If the same mosquito bites another dog, the larvae infect the healthy animal.
4. The larvae continuously develop and grow inside the dog's body, migrating toward the heart and lungs, where they eventually settle, live parasitically, and reproduce continuously.
Occurrence in Hungary
The worm was typically found in Mediterranean regions, but today it is present in many other countries, including our own. Among the surrounding countries, it is very common in southern parts of Croatia, Italy in the Po River Valley, and eastern Romania. Abroad, there are already many infected dogs; it is estimated that in the USA, one million dogs are diagnosed with heartworm disease each year.
In Hungary, infection was first detected in 1982 in a dog purchased from abroad, followed by several diagnoses in animals that had previously been abroad. In 2007, a worm was found for the first time in a dog that had not traveled abroad before and was proven to have been infected in Hungary. We cannot provide exact data, but since the 2007 case, veterinarians in our country have seen an increasing number of infected dogs each year. Based on examinations at the Nyíregyháza Animal Hospital, about 20% of dogs are infected with microfilariae, mostly skin worms, but a smaller portion of these are heartworms.
Symptoms – Diagnosis
In the following, Dr. Péter Hauberger, a veterinarian at the Nyíregyháza Animal Hospital, talks to our readers about the symptoms of heartworm disease in dogs and the methods of diagnosis:
Since heartworms are found in the pulmonary arteries, and in more severe cases in the right side of the heart, they cause respiratory and heart diseases. Accordingly, the symptoms manifest as coughing, difficulty breathing, edema throughout the body, ascites, suffocation, fainting, which can even result in death. From the time of infection, dogs may remain symptom-free for years, and it is possible that a dog with heartworms shows no symptoms and dies from something else. However, asymptomatic animals are still infectious and spread the disease via mosquitoes.
The diagnosis of heartworm disease is multifaceted. Heartworm larvae can be detected in blood under a microscope using simple tests or from specially prepared blood samples. Today, rapid tests are also available, which can be completed in 10 minutes. It is also possible to make a precise diagnosis by detecting heartworm DNA from blood samples.
Heartworm disease is preventable – about prevention
Fortunately, heartworm disease in dogs can be easily and cheaply prevented, especially when compared to the long, exhausting, and costly treatment, which involves painful arsenic-based injections to kill the heartworms living inside the lungs and heart. This is followed by a restriction of physical activity for three months and, of course, health complications. Surgery may also be necessary if the body is heavily burdened with worms. Based on the above, it is clear that it is much easier to prevent heartworm disease than to cure the dog.
How can we prevent heartworm disease in our dog? Dr. Hauberger's useful good advice for our readers:
There are two possible methods for prevention. During the seasonal period, mosquitoes spreading heartworm larvae can be kept away with spot-on products or collars. The other prevention option is to use a spot-on preparation that destroys the heartworm larvae that have entered the bloodstream, so that no developed, reproductive worm can develop from them. Prevention is important because adult worms already diagnosed are very difficult and dangerous to kill. Regular screening is also part of prevention. Since dogs can show no symptoms for a long time (years), the above-mentioned diagnostic tests can be performed even on asymptomatic animals.
Many thanks to the doctor for the expert help, these good tips will certainly be useful for many dog-loving families and owners!
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