The disease known as heartworm entered our country a few years ago, but it is becoming more and more widespread in the country, including in Fejér County. The vast majority of dog owners have barely heard of it, and those who have, know very little about it. However, without adequate protection, our pets are exposed almost daily to diseases that can be fatal, but which require long and expensive medical treatment. We asked veterinarian István Koller to help us learn more about heartworms.
As it turned out, the name of the disease is no accident either. Heartworm can be spread by infected mosquitoes while sucking blood, when the heartworm larvae are transferred from the mosquito to the dog’s body. Here, the larvae migrate through the bloodstream and tissues and reach the dog’s heart, as the veterinarian puts it: this is their favorite place. The adult worms continue to multiply in the dog’s heart, their larvae enter the animal’s bloodstream and infect new mosquitoes and the cycle does not stop.
The infected dog shows no symptoms at first, later weakness and coughing may occur, but the owner does not think these symptoms are serious. As time progresses, the infected dog can become serious and life-threatening.
In the initial stage, problems can be cured with medication, but even this is not a cheap and lengthy process by the time our pet recovers. According to the veterinarian, we can start preventive treatments for our pet from the age of 7 months, which requires a heartworm screening and a negative test result. The treatments must be repeated every 28 days, and the specialist also warns not to skip the winter months. Due to the mild winter, infected mosquitoes can be expected to appear at any time. If we still take a break between treatments, heartworm screening is mandatory before the next preventive treatment.
How seriously should this disease be taken? The vet does not recommend taking the matter lightly. Our dog’s late-detected heartworm disease can cost him his life, but we can expect a minimum of 6 months of hospital treatment and veterinary costs starting at HUF 300,000.
