Heartworm Prevention

[D24]

Are your pets (dogs & cats) protected from Heartworm disease?

What heartworm prevention are you using?

I'm giving ProHeart SR-12 to my dog.

D24

[satan_gal]

Depending on where you stay, the risk differs.

For Eg, I'm staying at higher floors.. less mozzies... so I choose to risk.

HOWEVER... If my hubby earn enough to buy me a eat wind house... I confirm + chop will Revolution all dogs.

So conclusion.. SG dun put heartworm prevention.. But i do use dog shampoos wif scents tat sorta discourage mozzies (and ticks)

[ThErMuS]

i only using revolution on my dog

[Aro77]

Using Same SR12 for mine.. peace of mind..

[satan_gal]

Some people might not know what are heartworms.

http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/hea...acts-and-myths

Heartworms in dogs are easy to prevent, but difficult and costly to cure.

Q: How do dogs get heartworms?

A: Only by the bite of an infected mosquito. There’s no other way dogs get heartworms. And there’s no way to tell if a mosquito is infected. That’s why prevention is so important.

Heartworm disease has been reported in Singapore. And the bite of just one mosquito infected with the heartworm larvae will give your dog heartworm disease.And if you have mosquitoes and you have animals, you’re going to have heartworms. It’s just that simple.

It takes about seven months, once a dog is bitten by an infected mosquito, for the larvae to mature into adult heartworms. They then lodge in the heart, lungs, and surrounding blood vessels and begin reproducing. Adult worms can grow up to 12 inches in length, can live 5-7 years, and a dog can have as many as 250 worms in its system.

Q: Can people get heartworms from their dogs?

A: It can only be passed on by mosquitoes. It’s a specific parasite that only affects dogs and cats and ferrets and other mammals. In rare cases, heartworms have infected people, but it does not complete its life cycle. The heartworm will migrate to the lung and cause a round lesion that looks like a tumor. But these are very rare cases.

Q: If one of my dogs has heartworms, can he give it to my other dogs?

A: No. Again, the only way heartworms are transmitted is through the bite of an infected mosquito. And even if an uninfected mosquito bit your infected dog, and then bit your uninfected dog the same night, he wouldn’t transmit the parasite from one dog to the other. That’s because when a mosquito bites an infected animal, the heartworm needs to undergo an incubation period in the mosquito before the mosquito can infect other animals.

Q: Is it OK to adopt a dog with heartworms?

A: It’s a very common problem in animal shelters today, and public shelters rarely have the money to treat heartworm disease. It’s perfectly acceptable to adopt a dog with heartworms, but you have to be dedicated to having the disease treated appropriately, because it’s a horrible disease that can lead to a dog’s death if left untreated.

Q: How can I prevent my dogs from getting heartworms?


A: There are monthly pills, monthly topicals that you put on the skin, and there’s also a six-month injectable product. The damage that’s done to the dog and the cost of the treatment is way more than the cost to prevent heartworm disease.

Q: What are the symptoms of heartworm infestations in dogs?

A: Initially, there are no symptoms. But as more and more worms crowd the heart and lungs, most dogs will develop a cough. As it progresses, they won’t be able to exercise as much as before; they’ll become winded easier. With severe heartworm disease, we can hear abnormal lung sounds, dogs can pass out from the loss of blood to the brain, and they can retain fluids. Eventually, most dogs will die if the worms are not treated.

Q: Once my dog has heartworms, what’s the treatment? How much will it cost?

A: The drug that you treat with is called Immiticide. It’s an injectable, arsenic-based product. The dog is given two or three injections that will kill the adult heartworms in the blood vessels of the heart.

The safest way to treat heartworms includes an extensive pre-treatment workup, including X-rays, blood work, and all the tests needed to establish how serious the infection is. Then the dog is given the injections. With all the prep work, it can run up to $1,000. But just the treatment can be done for about $300 in some areas.

Q: Why do I have to keep my dog quiet during the several months he’s being treated for heartworms?

A: After treatment, the worms begin to die. And as they die, they break up into pieces, which can cause a blockage of the pulmonary vessels and cause death. That’s why dogs have to be kept quiet during the treatment and then for several months afterward. Studies have shown that most of the dogs that die after heartworm treatment do so because the owners let them exercise. It’s not due to the drug itself.

Q: If my dog is diagnosed with heartworms, can I just give him his monthly preventative instead of having him go through treatment? Won’t that kill his heartworms?


A: Studies have shown that if you use ivermectin, the common preventative, on a monthly basis in a dog with heartworm disease, after about two years you’ll kill off most of the dog’s young heartworms. The problem is, in the meantime, all of those heartworms are doing permanent damage to the heart and blood vessels.

But if there’s no way someone can afford the actual treatment, at least using the preventative on a monthly basis could be a lesser alternative.

Q: Can I skip giving my dog his preventative during colder months, when there aren’t any mosquitoes?

A: The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round heartworm prevention. One reason is, there’s already a serious problem with people forgetting to give their dogs the heartworm preventatives. It’s a universal problem. Now if you use it year-round, and you miss a month, your dog will probably still be protected. But if you miss more than one or two months your dog could become infected.

The other reason not to stop is that many of the preventatives today also include an intestinal parasite control for roundworms, whipworms, or tapeworms. You want your dog to be protected against those at all times.

Q: If I don’t treat my dog with heartworms, will he “outgrow” his heartworms?

A: No. He stands a good chance of dying from the disease.

Q: I’ve heard the treatment for heartworms can be dangerous. Are there any newer, safer alternatives?

A: We used to use plain arsenic to treat it, which had many side effects. What we use now is a safer product with fewer side effects. It’s a safe product if used correctly.

Q: If my dog gets heartworms, and is treated for them, can he get them again?

A: Yes, he can get them again. That’s why prevention is so important.

[satan_gal]

To keep it short, Mosquito carrying the larvae bites dog, larvae grows into worms in the dog's bloodstream and clog the heart.

Dog dies unless timely treatment is given

[D24]

In Singapore, it is very important to have heartworm prevention on them. We bring them out for walks, grooming, vets etc..

I've seen some dogs suffering from heartworm disease, it is a very very painful way of death. Do not take chance if you do not want them to suffer.

D24

[ThErMuS]

Originally Posted by D24

Are your pets (dogs & cats) protected from Heartworm disease?

What heartworm prevention are you using?

I'm giving ProHeart SR-12 to my dog.

D24

how much is the medication?? and do you do it yourself?

[Charlesnah]

Originally Posted by ThErMuS

how much is the medication?? and do you do it yourself?

If i not wrong if your dog is not on heart worm prevention you must let vet do a heart worm test to be sure there's no heart worm before you can start any heart worm prevention medicine


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[D24]

Originally Posted by ThErMuS

how much is the medication?? and do you do it yourself?

Its about $100/- +/- for this injection done by the Vet.

Choosing the type of heartworm prevention depends on our pets & us too. For me, i travel a lot. So yearly jab is my best option after consulting the vet.

D24