by Amanda Kringle

Created on: June 15, 2010

Having a dog is a wonderful experience. They can add so much happiness and fulfillment to your life. However, just like humans dogs can get sick too. However, the difference is that many illnesses that effect your dog can kill them before you really know anything is wrong. This is the case with heart worms.

Known as Drofilarai immitis, heart worms are a deadly parasitic worm that are transfered through mosquitoes. Dogs are the most common hosts all though the parasite can be found in both cats and other animals. It is commonly found in the right side of the heart, the lungs and pulmonary arteries. Male out door dogs are more likely to pick of the disease then indoor dogs.

The heart worm life cycle in a dog is from six to seven months. Infected larvae from a female mosquito will be deposited into the skin where it is thinnest. After being deposited into the skin the larvae will burrow through the skin and change form as they move into the veins and eventually into the heart, lungs and pulmonary arteries of the dog. They have the ability to survive for up too five years in a dogs heart and can reach lengths of up too 12 inches. When the male and female worms mate they produce offspring that can live in the small blood vessels of 90% of infected dogs up to seven years. They can also cause lung and liver problems as a result of blocked blood flow.

It is most commonly diagnosed in dogs that are in between three to eight years of age. However, dogs that live in high mosquito areas can become infected as young as one year of age. Heart worms effect dogs in numbers causing blood flow issues. There have been documented cases of dogs having as many as 40 worms in their hearts at the time of death. The severity of the disease depends heavily on the location of the worms (i.e. heart, lungs or pulmonary arteries), the number of worms, the duration of the infection (how quick your dog was diagnosed), and how healthy your dog is.

Symptoms are usually non existent until the disease has progressed. However once your dog starts to exhibit symptoms they will include: anemia, cough ( the most common), shortness of breath, fainting after exercise, shortness of breath, tiring easily, loss of weight and appetite, listlessness and nervousness, convulsions, diarrhea and vomiting as well as bloody stool, collapse, heart failure, and even death. 

If you notice any of these symptoms in your dog it is imperative that you seek a veterinarian's advice. These symptoms can cause death and the sooner your dog is treated the better off he or she will be. 

If caught in enough time treatments for dogs are usually very effective and they have a 90% chance of over coming the infection. However like most illnesses the prevention is the best method. Its important that dogs over a year of age, regardless of indoor or outdoor status, be checked every six months to a year. The reason being is that heart worms can not only kill your pet, but can be passed to humans. It is not uncommon for heart worms to be passed to infants if you allow your dog to go untreated. Even if your dog dies, you must treat your house because they can live in the floor and other areas of your home.

Learn more about this author, Amanda Kringle.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.