Last week, we made some suggestions for getting active with your dog in honor of Canine Fitness Month. As it happens, April is also Heartworm Awareness Month, a less pleasant but important and timely topic with mosquito season around the corner. Robbie’s experience a feel-good story and a cautionary tale. Today, he’s a happy, healthy young dog looking for a loving family. But he got lucky: he received heartworm treatment in time.
What is heartworm?
Heartworm is caused by parasitic worms that live in the lungs and heart of infected hosts. It is transmitted by mosquitos and therefore spreads easily among susceptible species. Heartworm is present in all 50 states. Dogs, wolves, foxes, and coyotes are natural hosts and most prone to infection. Cats and ferrets are atypical but also susceptible.
When a mosquito bites an infected animal, it ingests microfilariae produced by adult female worms. The mosquito then transmits the parasites to another potential host. The larvae travel through the bloodstream to the animal’s pulmonary arteries and heart. Once in a dog’s heart, worms grow and reproduce, damaging organs in the process.
Symptoms of heartworm include coughing, fatigue after activity, labored breathing, and weight loss. Unfortunately, dogs usually remain asymptomatic until the condition is advanced. That’s why it’s important to test yearly. Untreated, heartworm is nearly always fatal in dogs.
Heartworm treatment
Fortunately, treatment has improved significantly since the 1990s. Typically, a fast-kill protocol involves the administration of the antibiotic doxycycline, to kill the microfilariae, and an adulticide called melarsomine, to get rid of adult worms. Treatment takes three or four months when there are no complications.
Robbie’s heartworm experience
Robbie arrived at Rescue Ranch in August of 2021. Despite the husky/shepherd’s healthy appearance, he tested positive for heartworm. We started him on doxycycline for 30 days, after which he received his first injection of melarsomine. A month after that, the final two injections of melarsomine were administered 24 hours apart.
Treatment with melarsomine requires complete rest for 30 days after the first and final injections. This is because as the worms die they break into little pieces before dissolving. Exercise elevates the heartrate, pumping more blood through the body, which in turn can push worm fragments into small blood vessels and cause serious complications. Keeping a young husky at rest for days, even months, on end, is no easy task and no fun for him.
Unfortunately, after all that, Robbie was still testing positive. The fast-kill protocol is very effective, but if some worms manage to survive, it has to begin again.
For some reason, poor Robbie required two rounds of heartworm treatment before finally testing negative. That’s at least six months of rest, pills and injections. Not much fun for an energetic young dog who just wants to find a home, bond with his people, and go for a hike!
Wonderful Robbie is now healthy and available for adoption
Because of heartworm, Robbie missed out on some promising adoption opportunities early on. He’s already been with us for nearly two years and, at just over three years old, he’s in his prime. We’d really like to find him a family of his own where he can thrive.
Robbie is heartworm-free, fully recovered, healthy, and eager to get on with life. If you think he could be a match for your family and lifestyle, please visit his bio page to fill out an application. You can also call the Adoption Center at (530) 842-0829, or email info@rrdog.org, to set up a meet-and-greet.
An ounce of prevention…
If Robbie had received preventative care before he came to us, he would have been spared months of tedious, difficult heartworm treatment. He got lucky in the sense that he was tested and treated in time, but preventative care would have been easier and less risky.
Talk to your vet about the best way to protect all of your pets. The American Heartworm Society is also an excellent resource.
