Heartworm disease in dogs is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by a parasitic worm, Dirofilaria immitis. The worms live in the heart, lungs, and associated blood vessels of affected dogs, causing severe lung disease, heart failure, and damage to other organs. In this blog we will touch upon all things regarding heartworm disease in dogs–the likelihood of exposure, the science of the disease, heartworm prevention, and wrap it up with some thoughts.
How Worried do I Need to be about Heartworms in Colorado
Colorado is not a state that carries the same risk as Florida or Texas because of the typically dry climate. That being said, we are seeing more and more humid weather diseases creep into our state over the past 5-10 years. We used to not discuss leptospirosis when I first moved to Colorado in 2001. Now we regularly vaccinate for it. We also did not see the number of ticks we now see. All these bacteria and parasites are fond of humidity. So, with that in mind, whether or not you choose to protect your pet against heartworm depends on your appetite for risk. To make a better informed decision one needs to be more informed about the disease.
Heartworm Disease in Dogs–the Science
The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes. When a mosquito bites an infected animal, it picks up microscopic larvae. Within that mosquito the larva matures from the first larval stage to the infective third larval stage. Later, when that mosquito bites another dog, it deposits the larvae into the dog’s bloodstream. Over the course of several months, the larvae mature into adult worms—some reaching up to a foot in length. If a dog becomes infected, these worms will reproduce and eventually cause congestive heartworm. To get more information specifically about heartworms go to The American Heartworm Society’s page at www.heartwormsociety.org. To get even more detailed info about heartworm and its life cycle or any other parasite you can visit www.cpacvet.org.
Heartworm Prevention
Prevention is far easier, safer, and more affordable than treatment. Monthly preventatives, given year-round, effectively stop the development of heartworm larvae. Annual blood testing ensures your dog remains free from infection and confirms that prevention is working.
Final Thoughts
Back to your appetite for risk. I often use an odd analogy for this. I moved here from Michigan and at my first house I would blow out my sprinklers every winter. My neighbor didn’t. Neither of us ever had a problem. He was from Nebraska and believed the sprinkler was buried far enough in the ground and weather wasn’t cold enough long enough to freeze that deep. I stopped blowing out the sprinklers for two years. Every February I would be stressed during those freezing weeks and worry until the spring that I may have a leak. Never had a problem. I began blowing out the sprinklers again because I didn’t want the stress. So if you see a mosquito land on your dog, you can either have peace of mind because they are on a preventative, or play the odds and hope that mosquito is carrying heartworm larvae.
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