How Can Heartworm Disease Affect Your Dog?
The Parasite Heartworms are parasites (Dirofilaria immitis) that are spread through mosquito bites, from host to host.
The main hosts for heartworms are dogs, but sometimes, heartworms can infect other animals, such as cats, coyotes, foxes, wolves and other animals.
Although some infected dogs will not develop a heartworm disease and only carry the larvae on their skin or in their body, most dogs will develop the heartworm disease, which will affect their lungs and heart.
The symptoms Heartworm disease symptoms can be very extreme, going from muscles pain to death.
Pulmonary arteries damages.
After infection of the dog, heartworms can quickly establish themselves in the pulmonary arteries.
The presence of a strange body will create an inflammation of the area, leading to more severe damages at long terms, such as aneurysms and blood clotting, leading to a reduction of space available for blood and oxygen to pass, therefore a lack of oxygenation of the dog's lungs.
As a result: constant fatigue, lots of coughing, nose bleeds or even pulmonary eosinophilic granulomatosis.
Heart failure.
If the worms establish themselves in the heart arteries of the infected dog, those arteries will plug up and the heart will have to work harder to compensate the lack of blood flow, creating hypertension.
In more severe cases, the heart can start responding differently, leading a disruption of the normal contractions of the heart.
This can create an arrhythmia and lead to a sudden death of the dog.
Chronic inflammation.
The immune system of the infected dog is triggered by the presence of the heartworms.
It will be chronically sending antibodies, leading to a chronic inflammation near the area where the heartworms have establish themselves.
On a long term, the chronic inflammation can cause destruction and damages to the surrounding cells, triggering a lot of pain for the dog.
Caval syndrome.
The caval syndrome is the aggravated variant of heartworm disease.
In rare cases, the heartworms can proliferate to as much as 100 and fill up entirely the heart of the infected dog.
The caval syndrome usually happens because the infected animal showed no signs of heart problems prior to the caval syndrome, therefore not giving the owner a chance to treat their animal.
Because of the severity of the disease, the dog will collapse and will die within 1 or 2 days unless a surgery is performed.
Other possible syndromes.
In rare occasions, the heartworm larvae can migrate to unusual sites, such as the eye, the brain or a leg.
Unusual symptoms like blindness, seizures and difficulty to move can ensue.
The use of heartworm medicine is important to prevent pets, especially dogs, from contracting heartworms.
Go to the Heartworm Medicine for Dogs Organization website to find out more about heartworms, the symptoms, the diagnosis and the treatments available.
The main hosts for heartworms are dogs, but sometimes, heartworms can infect other animals, such as cats, coyotes, foxes, wolves and other animals.
Although some infected dogs will not develop a heartworm disease and only carry the larvae on their skin or in their body, most dogs will develop the heartworm disease, which will affect their lungs and heart.
The symptoms Heartworm disease symptoms can be very extreme, going from muscles pain to death.
Pulmonary arteries damages.
After infection of the dog, heartworms can quickly establish themselves in the pulmonary arteries.
The presence of a strange body will create an inflammation of the area, leading to more severe damages at long terms, such as aneurysms and blood clotting, leading to a reduction of space available for blood and oxygen to pass, therefore a lack of oxygenation of the dog's lungs.
As a result: constant fatigue, lots of coughing, nose bleeds or even pulmonary eosinophilic granulomatosis.
Heart failure.
If the worms establish themselves in the heart arteries of the infected dog, those arteries will plug up and the heart will have to work harder to compensate the lack of blood flow, creating hypertension.
In more severe cases, the heart can start responding differently, leading a disruption of the normal contractions of the heart.
This can create an arrhythmia and lead to a sudden death of the dog.
Chronic inflammation.
The immune system of the infected dog is triggered by the presence of the heartworms.
It will be chronically sending antibodies, leading to a chronic inflammation near the area where the heartworms have establish themselves.
On a long term, the chronic inflammation can cause destruction and damages to the surrounding cells, triggering a lot of pain for the dog.
Caval syndrome.
The caval syndrome is the aggravated variant of heartworm disease.
In rare cases, the heartworms can proliferate to as much as 100 and fill up entirely the heart of the infected dog.
The caval syndrome usually happens because the infected animal showed no signs of heart problems prior to the caval syndrome, therefore not giving the owner a chance to treat their animal.
Because of the severity of the disease, the dog will collapse and will die within 1 or 2 days unless a surgery is performed.
Other possible syndromes.
In rare occasions, the heartworm larvae can migrate to unusual sites, such as the eye, the brain or a leg.
Unusual symptoms like blindness, seizures and difficulty to move can ensue.
The use of heartworm medicine is important to prevent pets, especially dogs, from contracting heartworms.
Go to the Heartworm Medicine for Dogs Organization website to find out more about heartworms, the symptoms, the diagnosis and the treatments available.
