June 5, 2008

Is Your Area Infested with Heartworms?

There are parasites that endanger your pets lurking everywhere - from the leaping kind like ticks and fleas, to the flying ones like mosquitoes that may be carrying heartworm larvae. But there are areas that expose our pets to more danger than others.

In the case of heartworms, it is not a matter of whether your pet always stays indoors or loves to play outdoors because mosquitoes can invade either areas. The factors that increase the chances of your pet getting heartworm disease are the prevalence of mosquitoes in your area, the means that you use to avoid these insects from getting to your pet, and the preventive measures you give your pet to fight the infection.

There are several parts of the world - including the US, Canada, South America, Europe, the coastal areas of Africa, Asia and Australia - where heartworms are found. In the US, areas with higher incidences of heartworm infestation are the southeastern part of the country. According to a 2005 American Heartworm Society (AHS) survey, there were 250,000 dogs in the US that tested positive for heartworms. Below is a breakdown of heartworm cases in the different states for 2004, as sourced from Heartgard:

Idaho	6	Hawaii	584	Ohio	4,994
Alaska	8	Colorado	638	Michigan	5,209
Wyoming	13	Rhode Island	681	Illinois	5,724
North Dakota	31	Connecticut	702	Missouri	7,175
Montana	37	New Jersey	822	Arkansas	7,286
Nevada	43	Nebraska	1,016	Indiana	7,346
Washington	59	Pennsylvania	1,122	Tennessee	11,149
District of Columbia	65	Wisconsin	1,420	South Carolina	11,518
Vermont	74	Maryland	1,596	Mississippi	11,752
South Dakota	93	Iowa	1,766	Alabama	14,892
Utah	172	Massachusetts	1,807	Louisiana	16,830
Maine	227	Minnesota	2,472	Georgia	17,508
New Hampshire	235	New York	2,519	North Carolina	17,511
Delaware	408	Kansas	2,811	Florida	32,128
West Virginia	427	Oklahoma	2,830	Texas	42,003
Arizona	462	Kentucky	3,442
New Mexico	476	Virginia	4,344
Oregon	561	California	4,596

These figures do not mean that pets that reside in areas where there are few incidences of heartworm infection are already safe from being infected. It is still advisable to safeguard your pets because it takes only a bite from an infected mosquito to transfer the heartworm larvae. There are several effective precautionary measures against these parasites. A great way to protect your pets from heartworms is to use Interceptor® (Milbemycin oxime, orally) and Revolution® (Selemectin, topically). It will also be good for them if they undergo regular check-ups. Another protective measure to avoid your pet from getting the disease is to keep a clean environment to control the number of mosquitoes in your area.

Being familiar with the incidence rate of heartworm infection in a place lets you know the level of danger or risk your pets are exposed to. If you reside in an area with a high incident rate of heartworm infection, you should double your efforts to protect your pets. If you plan to travel with your pet to a place with a high incident rate consult your vet for the necessary precautions you can take. You wouldn’t want your pet to be caught unarmed against these parasites, would you?

Symptoms of Heartworms in Cats

Sometimes, what we don’t see is more dangerous than what we can. This is because we may be able to protect ourselves from the dangers that we see and be unprepared for those that we do not know is there. This is true for heartworms in cats.

Why do I say this? When an infected mosquito bites your cat, it injects the heartworm larvae into its body. These microscopic-sized parasites settle in the blood vessels of the lungs where they grow and develop into mature male and female heartworms. There are no physical signs that tell that whether larvae or adult worms are already inside your cat. This means that the larvae can exist inside your cat - then mature - without you knowing it.

But when you do see some signs of illness it is hard to diagnose whether it is caused by heartworms. The symptoms may be very similar to other diseases that affect cats. Some of these general signs include vomiting, choking, lethargy, coughing, fainting, difficulty in or rapid breathing, paralysis, asthma-like symptoms, and a lack of appetite. Due to these non-specific signs, the first stage of heartworm disease is often misdiagnosed as asthma or allergic bronchitis.

So when your cat exhibits any of the symptoms you should watch out because they could also be indicative of where the adult heartworms thrive and develop. The signs are:

1. Acute feline heartworm disease: unconsciousness, difficulty in breathing, convulsions, diarrhea, vomiting, blindness, and rapid heart rate

2. Chronic feline heartworm disease: coughing, vomiting, difficulty in breathing, lethargy, loss of appetite, and weight loss

When a cat exhibit any of these symptoms, you must immediately consult a vet.

Knowing the difficulties caused by heartworm disease makes it important to be wary of mosquitoes and the threat they bring. For even if you cannot know where and when they will strike, you can take steps to avoid your cat from getting the disease. To help prevent heartworm disease there are products approved by the FDA like Interceptor® (Milbemycin oxime, orally) and Revolution® (Selemectin, topically) that you can give your cat. But until better methods of diagnosis are developed, being vigilant and arming yourself with information is still your best line of defense against heartworm disease. So learn as much as you can because a well informed pet owner is a well prepared one, don’t you agree?

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