Heartworm in Dogs
Heartworm, or Dirofilaria immitis,
is an important dog health care
issue, since these nasty parasites
can create serious health problems
for your dog.
Heartworm parasites are not transmitted directly from one dog to another. Instead, the parasites are transmitted by mosquitoes carrying heartworm larvae, which eventually develop and inhabit the dog’s heart and nearby blood vessels.
Since Heartworms grow to become
quite large, they can cause a lot
of damage to your dog’s health.
Just imagine: male heartworms can
become about four to six inches
in length, while the females often
become about twice that long –
and an infected dog can have about
30 heartworms in his little heart
at the same time! Also, a grown
heartworm can actually live up to
seven years in a dog before it eventually
dies.
Heartworm parasites exist in the
US as well as many other parts of
the world and even though your dog
does not experience any signs of
the illness, he might still be infected
(which also means that he is a carrier
of the disease and can pass it on
to other animals when bitten by
a mosquito that in turn bites another
animal).
Heartworm can easily be diagnosed
with blood tests and/or X-rays,
but is undetectable for about six
months after entering the dog. In
addition, you dog will not show
any signs of the illness until the
grown worms are in his heart –
a fact that makes it immensely important
to prevent your dog from becoming
infected in the first place.
Skin
problems
Because of its white color, the
Dogo´s skin is more sensitive
than many other dogs´. Many
Dogos are prone to skin allergies
and/or irritations, so when bathing
a Dogo one should always use a very
gentle shampoo. Also, Dogos can
easily sunburn so if kept outside
for a long period of time, they
need some shadow!
There are a lot of effective heart worm medications on the market today and most dogs with Heartworm can be successfully treated. However, some complications can occur after the treatment. When the grown worms die, they can for instance easily cause blood clots. In addition, changes in the heart due to the heart worms can also be hard to repair. So once again, prevention is absolutely the best medicine!
Clinical signs of Heartworm may include, but are not limited to:
