Year after year, veterinarians brace for the disease that has plagued our pets for many years. However this affliction is easily avoidable with inexpensive and safe prescription drugs. Occurrences of Heartworms in both dogs and cats persist to grow and the fee for treatment of (when recognized early enough) is much more that the amount to prevent. Therefore, how will you provide protection to family pet from the fatal effects of this now prevalent parasite?

Flash back to 150 years ago when a researcher initially discovered the heartworm parasite in a dog. Then the parasite evolved and was then detected in our cats 80 years ago. Even though heartworm prevention is available for both dogs and cats you would reckon that we would experience a decrease in the number of cases, yet each and every year thousands and thousands of dogs and cats are diagnosed and all too often die too soon from this dreaded parasite. Several researchers approximate that in North America alone, cases of heartworms in our pets might actually be in the millions.

The disease attributed to this heartworm dwelling inside of your pet’s heart is devastating. Your pet can be infected by the sole bite of just one mosquito. The worm will then migrate through your pet’s body eventually taking up residence in your pet’s heart chamber and the blood vessels leading to the lungs. This leads to your pet’s heart needing to pump harder to circulate the blood through his tiny body. The consequences on the lungs is even more critical with some pets gasping for breath because the lungs fill with fluid and tiny blood clots clog the vessels. Early warning signs can consist of coughing and exercise intolerance that some owners just attribute to the dog getting lazy. Commonly, warning signs do not emerge until the disease is well advanced and the dog is struggling with heart failure, fluid accumulation in the lungs and abdomen which could subsequently result in death.

In cats, it only takes one heartworm to bring about damage. The first symptoms are asthma like symptoms and sometimes vomiting that the owners can attribute to hairballs. Whenever that heartworm lodges in the lungs, it may result in a sudden death of the cat.

Treatment for heartworms is costly starting from $500 for the smaller sized dogs, to well over $1500 for the bigger breeds. Complicated heartworm disease with cardiac failure is even more expensive and oftentimes there is only a 10% chance of recovery in the severely affected pets. As of yet, there is no remedy for cat heartworm disease, just supportive care.

Amazingly, veterinarians do have a remedy to this crisis. Safe, effective heartworm preventatives are available in a variety of easy to use applications. What is even more incredible is that the expense of a lifetime of prevention for many pets is significantly less that the one-time treatment for the disease. And so, why do pets continue to suffer and die from such a preventable disease?

As with all cyberspace beliefs, two radical hypotheses suggest that either the heartworm medications are failing or that the parasites are developing a resistance to the medicines. While conspiracy theorists love these types of thoughts, medical proof for either possibility is absent. Heartworm preventives have a failure rate of less than 1 in 1 million doses. Also, the complicated life cycle of the heartworm does not lend itself to developing a natural resistance to the medications. The truth likely lies in the remembrance of the owner to administer the dose in a monthly fashion and the climate.

Increasing temperatures in our climate has triggered a prolonged mosquito season and a bigger potential for transmission to our pets. Here in Houston, our mosquito season is all year round. Some locations are currently finding more mosquitoes in previously mosquito-free places. Irrigation of dry areas and expanded plantings of trees in certain regions may actually expand mosquito population. With a bigger number of mosquitoes, there is a greater possibility of transmission of heartworm disease.

Once all of the facts are considered, the most obvious reason for our failure to manage this deadly parasite falls on the humans themselves. We simply do not supply the preventive as we must. It might be as a result of forgetfulness, or possibly one spouse believed the other one gave it or maybe it might be a result of the country’s economy and the monetary limitations imposed on the family unit. Whatever the reason may be, it can cause serious consequences for the health of our pets.

Luckily, as pet owners, you do have powerful allies to help fight the war against heartworms. With the help of your veterinarian, you’ll be able to pick the most effective heartworm medication for your pet and your budget. Oral prescription drugs, like Heartgard, Sentinel, and Iverhart are available. There are also topical medications such as Advantage-Multi and Revolution that are formulated to also provide protection to your pet from both heartworms and fleas. Proheart 6 is additionally available as a long lasting injection. The prevention of this disease rests entirely on the pet’s owners to make certain the pet gets the prevention prior to the pet might be exposed to the parasite. That means that this prevention should begin when they are young and be provided on a monthly basis, throughout the year.

You should not waste time trying to find “natural” or organic solutions to defend against heartworms; they just do not exist. Many individuals think they can formulate ivermectin to offer to their pets, but improper dilution and storage can result in overdosing or underdosing. Adhere to recommendations by your veterinarian and the American Heartworm Society (www.heartwormsociety.org). Your pet is relying on you and prevention is more effective and much less expensive compared to treatment.