Heartworms, Dirofilaria Immitis, are small, parasitic thread-like roundworms. The dogs are the definitive hosts but these worms may also infect wolves, coyotes, cats, foxes, sea lions and ferrets. There are rare incidents where humans are infected too. The term “heartworm” is a misnomer since the adult worms usually stay in the lung arteries and do their greatest damage on the tissues and vessels of the lungs. However during heavy infections, these worms may migrate to the right side of the heart. This is a very serious and fatal disease for dogs. Once diagnosed, owners should look for the best possible heart worm treatment for their canine friends.
There is no specific therapy plan for canine heartworm treatment. The problem with this disease condition is that heartworm infections are not detected early- usually symptoms are noticed about 6 months subsequent to a heartworm-infested mosquito bite. Moreover, blood exams are not able to detect the presence of heartworms until the larvae have developed into adults.
There are several heartworm treatment options available but before any heart worm treatment is started, the dog has to be assessed for kidney, liver and heart functions to determine possible risks of the treatment therapy. Normally, the adult roundworms are eradicated using arsenic-based compounds. The recently approved heart worm treatment medication is melarsomine dihydrochloride (Immiticide). It is more efficient and has lesser heart worm treatment side effects compared to previous drugs like Caparsolate (thiacetarsamide sodium).
Three standard methods in the heart worm treatments for dogs are being considered: the “fast kill” using the immiticide heartworm treatment, the “slow kill” using Heartgard (Ivermectin) and surgery. Some veterinarians would opt for the natural heartworm treatment using herbal preparations or Paratox homeopathic (holistic treatment). However, the decision on which type of heart worm treatment used is tailored to individual dogs where the extent of infection, the canine’s age, overall health, breed and activity level are taken into consideration. Take for example heart worm treatment and great Danes (including Collies); there are some heartworm medications (Ivermectin) that are not to be given to these breeds since it may cause neurological damages. Heart worm treatment for small dogs is different since they would need smaller doses of the medications. But smaller dogs have greater risks of developing complications (for the same number of heartworms in big dogs) since the pulmonary artery diameter are smaller in these dogs so they have greater risk of developing embolism due to the dead worms.
The immiticide heartworm treatment is the newest arsenic compound therapy for this condition in dogs. This involves the injection the medication into the dog’s body. This could increase the risk for toxicity. But the major complication is when the worms begin to die and cause blockage to the circulatory system especially in the lungs – a serious and fatal complication. To fight this problem, dogs are caged and movements are strictly inhibited for several weeks. Another complication of this heart worm treatment is the possibility of unsuccessfully killing all the worms. However, if there is a substantial involvement of the heart, then surgery may be indicated to treat the problem. Aside from the medications given and surgery, heart worm treatment also involves eliminating bacteria and heartworm larvae, restricting activity and reducing inflammation.
Bottom line is that the heartworm disease may be dangerous for your dog but is a completely preventable condition. If left undetected, these parasitic worms can block your dog’s circulation this is why it is very important for you to protect your dogs. Heart worm treatment, though available, may be quite risky for some dogs. Prevention is still more important than cure.