Heartworms can have a devastating
impact on a dog's health. Adult heartworms are about 5-8 inches long and
are approximately the width of thin spaghetti. A dog picks up heartworm
disease after being infected with a heartworm larva through a mosquito
bite. The larva if left to mature in the dog will grow over a six month
period into an adult heartworm ending up in the right chamber of the heart
and the vessels carrying blood into the lungs. The adult heartworms will
produce larvae and when a mosquito feeds on an infected dog, the cycle is
repeated.
Symptoms of the disease include
weight loss, coughing, tiring easily, or a pot-bellied appearance, and in
almost every untreated case, eventually death. . Heartworm preventatives
work to keep your dog from getting Heartworm disease by once monthly
killing all the 30 day and younger larvae that have been injected by
mosquitoes into your dog.
How do I know if my dog has
Heartworm disease?
What can I do if my dog has Heartworm disease?
When will my dog test negative for the disease after treatment?
