This often fatal disease is very serious and is one of the most devastating diseases that any hunting dog faces. Heartworm prevention is simple and involves a food additive or a heartworm pill that your dog will actually think is a treat. Whether you elect to use a heartworm pill, a liquid or powder food additive or other option that your vet recommends, make sure you use it as instructed, whether that is weekly or monthly.

Heartworm Facts
Heartworm is a parasite that can live in your dog’s body and infest every major organ and tissue, including the heart—which is usually what kills the infected animal. Mosquitoes are the culprit most often found carrying heartworm that infects dogs, but dogs can also get heartworm from foxes, coyotes, and other animals. It’s hard to detect heartworm early on, which is why it can often become fatal.

Preventing Heartworm
Most veterinarians believe that dogs should be provided with preventative treatment year round. Since it’s fairly easy to give your dog heartworm preventative meds such as those mentioned earlier. Another way to help make sure your pet stays free from heartworm is to ensure that your pet, his bedding and his environment stay clean and free from debris that can attract mosquitoes.

Symptoms of Heartworm
One of the first symptoms you may notice is weight loss, lack of energy, or excessive coughs. As the parasite attacks the dog’s lungs or respiratory system, the cough will become more severe. And as it reaches other areas of the body, symptoms will worsen. In the first few months, the heartworm infection usually goes unnoticed because parasites are too busy propagating and haven’t yet spread to show the symptoms in the dog.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis of heartworm is done by a veterinarian and is usually accomplished by clinical observation and blood tests. Often, a “double test” will be done to find out if the infection is male or female—which will affect treatment. This also determines approximate worm count, which will tell how far advanced the infection is.

Treating Heartworm
After diagnosis, heartworm treatment must begin right away. Otherwise, the infected dog can spread the disease to other dogs. Treatment will vary depending on worm count and the stage of the disease. An otherwise healthy dog will most likely live through the treatment, but an unhealth one has almost no chance of surviving. Treatment may not work if the parasites have affected too many organs or if the worm count has become too high. Prevention and early treatment is the best way to treat heartworm.

If any other dogs are living with or around the infected dog, they should be tested immediately for heartworm as well. It spreads quickly from one dog to the next, so testing is important. People should be tested as well, as humans are also capable of getting heartworm.

While heartworm is a potentially deadly parasite, prevention is the secret to keeping your dog from contracting it.