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The Love Bite That’s Not So Lovely

I was walking with Opie and Aari, lovingly referred to as the clowns, a few months ago, and I noticed traps set up in random spots throughout the neighborhood. Maricopa County has an extensive mosquito monitoring system. Traps are set up and checked by the county to determine the population of mosquitoes. Pima County has them as well.

Those pesky little buggers contain a whole host of issues in both humans and animals. In our hounds, heartworm disease is the most common and deadly.

In the United States and many other parts of the world, heartworm disease is serious and potentially fatal. It is caused by foot-long worms (heartworms) that live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels of affected pets, causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs in the body.

One bite into your hound from an infected mosquito transmits the infective larvae into the hound’s bloodstream. Over the next 6 to 7 months, the larvae mature and migrate to the heart and lungs. As the worms mature, they will mate and produce more worms.

Your hound may not show symptoms at first, but as the worms multiply, they will damage the heart and lungs. Symptoms may include coughing, lethargy, weight loss, difficulty breathing and a lack of appetite.

Once infected, the treatment consists of a series of three painful injections over several days to kill the adult larvae. Pain medication is sometimes required as the injections go deep into the lumbar muscle. This is followed by 6 to 8 weeks of strict rest. The rest period is essential because it allows the dog’s body to reabsorb the dead heartworms, thereby reducing the risk of complications such as lung damage or blood clots.  The cost of this painful treatment ranges from $500 to $6,000, depending on the severity of the disease.

Preventing heartworm infections is easier and cheaper than treating them. All dogs need heartworm prevention! There are numerous preventative medications approved for dogs, but they all work by killing immature stages of the parasite in the dog’s bloodstream. While some reports suggest the emergence of heartworm resistance in recent years, there is no widespread ineffectiveness, and proper prevention remains the best approach.

The American Heartworm Society reports that every preventative on the market has been less than perfect in at least one scientific study. However, it still advises annual testing and regular use of preventatives. Prior to adoption, all SA Greys’ hounds have been tested and every adopter receives a two-month supply of preventative. Heartworm preventative costs between $16 and $18 per month. Did you know that Costco carries preventative care? You don’t need to be a member to take advantage of their low prices.

Always moving forward,

Nancy

Nancy Lynberg is the Operations Director of Southern Arizona Greyhound Adoption and can be reached at nancy@sagreys.org.