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Heartworm disease is a dangerous,
but completely preventable infection where parasitic worms
grow inside the chambers of your dog or cat's heart and large
blood vessels. Left undetected, heartworm disease can become
serious and even result in death as worms eventually block
blood flow to the heart and lungs. That's why heartworm
prevention and early detection are so important! Protect your
dog & cat against the dangers of heartworm. By offering
both brand name dog heartworm medicines like Heartgard Plus,
Interceptor, Sentinel, and Revolution - PLUS economical,
FDA-approved bio-equivalents like Tri-Heart Plus - we believe
more dogs & cats will be able to receive the heartworm
protection they need.
New products on the market include Advantage Multi,
a topical heartworm preventive, which also protects against
fleas and certain intestinal worms in dogs and cats, and
Iverhart Max, a heartworm preventive that protects from most
intestinal worms, including tapeworm!
Heartworm Disease, caused by the
parasite Dirofilaria immitis, was once considered a disease of
the southern United States. But it is now found in every state
in the continental United States. The mosquito is the only
known vector for transmitting heartworm. Microfilariae enter a
mosquito when it bites an infected pet. In 10-28 days they
mature into larvae. The larvae enter a new animal's body when
it is bitten by an infected mosquito. Larvae mature and
migrate to the pet's heart. Worms in the heart mate and
produce microfilariae (6-7 months after infection in dogs, 8
months in cats).
An important part of a complete
heartworm prevention program is testing. All dogs should be
tested for heartworm infection before starting a preventive
program. Testing ensures that your pet is free of adult
heartworms, and ready to start or continue on heartworm
preventive medication. The American Heartworm Society (AHS)
estimates that only 50% of dogs in areas where heartworm
occurs are actually on heartworm preventives. Of those
prescribed heartworm prevention products, only about 75%
receive all of the doses. Since heartworm continues to be a
fatal disease and pet owners' compliance with heartworm
prevention is less than optimal, the AHS recommends
these guidelines for heartworm testing >
* In a small percentage of
ivermectin/pyrantel treated dogs, digestive and neurological
side effects may occur.
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