Welcome to Heartworm Awareness Month! Though many deaf dogs are at risk of contracting heartworm disease every month of every year, April is a perfect time to start a conversation about keeping our deaf dogs healthy!
Here in South Florida, mosquitoes aren’t a seasonal pest that comes around for a few months at a time; down here, they feed on us all year round.
Living in a near-tropical climate, we spend a lot of time outside. We drink our morning coffee on the porch. We lunch on the beach or at outdoor cafes. We have evening cocktails in the garden and supper under the stars. If you can tolerate the heat and humidity, it’s not a bad life.
But here’s the rub: our year-round outdoor meals double as meal time for mosquitoes, too.
As we gather outside, so do they. As we’re biting into our sandwich, they’re biting us. We smack them hard but another one quickly comes to take its place. For us, mosquitoes are irritating but basically harmless. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for our dogs. For them, mosquitoes are much more than a nuisance; they can be deadly.
Mosquitoes transmit parasites that present a very serious health risk for our dogs: heartworm disease. The good news is that prevention is easy and won’t break the bank.
This post is sponsored by Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help create awareness about protection against common parasites found in dogs but I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SENTINEL SPECTRUM HERE. Virbac is not responsible for the content of this article.
Over 300,000 dogs are diagnosed with heartworm disease every year, but do you know how heartworms are transmitted?
The quick and dirty explanation is that a mosquito bites a heartworm positive dog, flies away and then bites your dog. When it is feeding on your beloved Fido, it is also transmitting microfilaria into his blood stream. Microfilaria are heartworms at a very early stage of development. As they develop into adult heartworms, they settle in your dog’s heart. In time, your dog can become lethargic, stop eating and/or develop problems breathing. If left untreated, heartworm disease can cause damage to the heart, lungs, both or even death.
Fortunately, treatment is available that can save your dog’s life, but treatment is not without its complications. Here a few things you should know about treating heartworm disease:
- First, it’s expensive. If your dog is positive for heartworms, usually the first thing your veterinarian will do is run blood work to confirm the positive result. She or he will likely want additional bloodwork and x-rays to make sure your dog is healthy enough for treatment. Add in the cost of an expensive and, often times, not readily available drug, and the cost of treatment can soar. Here in South Florida, it costs about $2000.00 to treat a dog for heartworm disease. That’s a lot of interactive toys and organic dog treats!
- It’s painful! Typical heartworm treatment involves two to three injections of immiticide deep into your dog’s lumbar muscles. It requires a long needle going into your dog’s sensitive muscles near his spine and it definitely hurts. Usually, your dog will need pain medication after treatment.
- It’s boring! After treatment, your dog will need to be on very restricted exercise for a long time. After treatment, the adult heartworms die off but pieces of their bodies can block blood vessels in the lungs. When your dog’s heart rate increases because he is running or playing, pieces of dead heartworms can be forced into blood vessels in the lungs causing a blood clot. To prevent this from happening, Fido is going to be in his crate except when he’s being walked on his leash for a couple of months after treatment.
While heartworm treatment has, without a doubt, saved the lives of millions of dogs, preventing heartworm disease is a cheaper, safer and easier way to achieve the same results. In this case, that old adage about an ounce of prevention is true.
Heartworm prevention is easily available from your veterinarian. They can test him for heartworm disease at the clinic with a few drops of blood. If he is negative, then your veterinarian can give you a monthly preventative that will kill off those microfilaria that mosquitos leave behind, preventing your dog from ever having adult heartworms clogging up his heart. After that, annual heartworm testing is recommended.
As a veterinary technician, I have tried lots of different heartworm prevention products. Recently, I switched Edison to Sentinel® Spectrum® because it provides safe protection against heartworm disease but it also prevents 5 other parasites in one monthly, beef and bacon-flavored chew.
Every 30 days, I give him one chewy dose- which he thinks is a treat. This one chew prevents heartworms, 4 intestinal parasites- hookworms, roundworms, whipworms and tapeworms- and also helps control fleas. Sentinel Spectrum is the only 6-in-1 preventative product available and using it makes my life easier. I give it once a month, every month, and my worries are gone!
So get outside and enjoy time with your dog! Play, hike, swim or sip lattes at an outdoor cafe- whatever makes you both happy and feel connected. With a monthly heartworm, flea and intestinal parasite prevention you can run wild with the wind or picnic in the park knowing your dog is protected.
What I discovered after I started using Sentinel Spectrum is that I can sign up for a handy monthly email or text message reminder that Edison’s dose is due. This helps me be a compliant pet parent so I can keep Edison parasite-free and healthy for many years to come!
To learn more about Sentinel Spectrum (milbemycin oxime/lufenuron/praziquantel) so that you can ask your veterinarian if it this preventative product is right for your dog, for you please read the product information here.
If you have any questions about heartworm disease, mosquitos, fleas or intestinal parasites, let me know in a comment below. I’ll use my veterinary technician brain to get you the information you need. Just remember, I’m not a veterinarian!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Virbac® Sentinel®. The opinions and text are all mine.
Ruth Cox says
April 15, 2016 at 5:43 amHeartworm awareness is extremely important to me so I thank you for the reminder! My dog Valentino was adopted from a shelter and was heartworm positive.
Nichole says
April 15, 2016 at 2:13 pmWe’ve used the standard sentinel for many years now. Works great! Great post.
Lauren Miller (ZoePhee) says
April 15, 2016 at 8:08 pmGreat post! Luckily, I am in the PNW and we don’t have a huge heartworm problem here. The dogs are on prevention, though! Our biggest problem here is fleas. Evil little blood sucking pests!
Ruth Epstein says
April 15, 2016 at 9:44 pmlove this product although my vet told me i don’t need heart worm for san francisco i did use it fleas
Spencer the Goldendoodle says
April 15, 2016 at 10:12 pmWonderful post, heartworm is a SERIOUS problem, thank you for bringing awareness to this topic!
Tenacious Little Terrier says
April 15, 2016 at 10:43 pmThere aren’t that many heartworm cases here but the numbers are rising. Mr. N is on preventative anyway plus we travel so I like to be prepared!
Rachel says
April 15, 2016 at 11:28 pmGreat info here, thank you! This definitely seems like a product worth looking into as well.
Amanda Yantos says
April 16, 2016 at 12:10 amHeartworm is scary. Arizona is definitely the opposite of FL – we barely have MOSQUITOES, thank goodness! But still, my dogs are on heartworm prevention because it’s not worth the risk.
Bernard Lima-Chavez says
April 16, 2016 at 12:18 pmHi Amanda, Yes, knowing the seasonal and geographic needs of our dogs is so important! The great thing about #SentinelSpectrum is that even in seasons and areas where mosquitos may not be a huge threat, fleas, hookworms, roundworms, whipworm and tapeworms ARE a concern. I’m so glad you’re done the research to keep your pack safe!
Dusty Desert Dogs says
April 16, 2016 at 12:50 amHeart worm awareness is very important thank you for your post.
Bernard Lima-Chavez says
April 16, 2016 at 12:16 pmThanks, Dusty Desert Dogs! One thing I love about #SentinelSpectrum is that it is the only 6-in-1 preventative product available. It’s doesn’t just protect against heartworm disease, but also fleas and 4 different intestinal parasites.
pawesome cats says
April 16, 2016 at 1:52 amHeartworm awareness is so important – thanks for covering this topic. Its also much harder to treat in cats than dogs – so prevention really is a life saver!
Bernard Lima-Chavez says
April 16, 2016 at 12:14 pmHi Pawesome Cats! I’m so glad you’re thinking about heartworm disease and cats. So many pet parents don’t consider that cats also need protection against, fleas, intestinal parasites and, yes, heartworm disease. It affects cats very differently.
The Daily Pip says
April 16, 2016 at 11:52 amI’m going to speak with our vet today about Ruby switching to Sentinel. REally seems like the way to go. Great and informative post as always.
Your site looks Amazing – love the colors, layout, and adorable new logo
Bernard Lima-Chavez says
April 16, 2016 at 12:12 pmThanks, DailyPip! We’re really happy with Sentinel Spectrum! And many thanks for your kind words about the new site. I hope it’s a better experience for you and everyone else!
Fur Everywhere says
April 16, 2016 at 5:13 pmI had no IDEA THAT dogs had to have restricted activity after heartworm treatment. Prevention is definitely the best way to go! I think it’s very cool that this product protects dogs against so many parasites. Growing up, i had a dog, and his heartworm pill only protected him from heartworm – no other parasites.
Jana Rade says
April 16, 2016 at 11:32 pmHeartworm is definitely something i would never take chances with.
M. K. Clinton says
April 17, 2016 at 12:31 amWe also have mosquitos year round and they are vicious. It is so much easier to prevent heartworms than it is to treat it. Bernard.
Christine Caplan says
April 17, 2016 at 2:56 amWe are luckier up in the PNW as heartwarm isn’t seen here as often but we’re absolutely providing regular protection for our dogs. I’ve only seen one case at the clinic and I felt terrible for the dog and pet parents, Folks need to know what their options are and this monthly regiment is simple.
Cathy Armato says
April 17, 2016 at 8:55 pmHeartworm is such a deadly disease that is so easy to prevent. I like that sentinal spectrum treats additional parasites as well. Monthly reminders are a great way to keep on top of medication, even one missed month can spell disaster!
Beth says
April 18, 2016 at 1:21 amHeartworms are terrible. I like the idea of giving one preventative to keep my dogs protected, but I am concerned about how it might interact with a topical for Ticks and Fleas. Ticks are a big problem in my area,
Jasmine Bachrach | About Pet Rats says
April 18, 2016 at 1:22 amGreat post about a very important topic. edison sure is a handsome and very lucky guy to have such top-notch care.
Sadie says
April 18, 2016 at 1:23 amI guess that’s one good thing about living in an area with colder fall/winter months! We start treating soon.
Talent Hounds says
April 18, 2016 at 1:54 amMy previous rescue Cookie had heartworm and was awful curing. Kilo is due for a Vet visit to check and get treatment. Are you near the Wynwood walls – love that area in Miami.
Sweet Purrfections says
April 18, 2016 at 2:40 amWe have the same problem with mosquitoes in SC. It’s just been recently that research has shown that cats can get heartworms, too. We’re on a monthly subscription now.
Miss Molly Says says
April 18, 2016 at 3:23 amLiving in the South, we are up front and personal with the mosquitoes too! One of our adopted dogs, Seager, came to us with heartworms from living outside the first 2 years of life with no protection. It was a LONG expensive and very painful treatment to get him over it. Thank you for sharing! There are so many that don’t know there is an alternative or a way of protecting our beloved pets!
Robin says
April 18, 2016 at 4:41 amHeartworms are so scary! I’m glad that mosquitoes are seasonal here in Michigan.That is the only nice thing about having such brutal winters. Unfortunately, Heartworms are a real, but rare threat for cats too. I’m glad that Sentinel has come up with a reasonable preventative for dogs (note- medications made for dogs are dangerous for cats). It sounds a lot better than trying to treat the problem once it has begun.
Lindsay Pevny says
April 18, 2016 at 7:46 pmWe haven’t yet been using a heartworm treatment, I really like that this is so easy to give and takes care of everything. we have to try this!
Dave says
April 21, 2016 at 8:12 amHey this is somewhat of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding know-how so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!
Kimberly Freeman says
April 21, 2016 at 1:11 pmThis is a great post. Thanks so much. I was on top of it when in nycand florida as heartworm was a major problem