If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure for most of life's situations, we'd say an ounce is worth about a ton of cure when it comes to Heartworm Disease in dogs and cats.
Heartworm preventative consists of a tiny dose of medication that kills larval worms before they develop into adult worms that live in the heart. Once in the heart they are there to stay until they die. The life span of a heartworm can be up to 5 years. While alive, a build-up of worms may cause heart failure; when dead they can incite a fatal lung reaction by floating around in the bloodstream and getting lodged in the lungs.
Treatment of heartworms in dogs is possible, but can be dangerous so special, careful protocols must be followed, requiring the use of an arsenic related compound.
Heartworms cannot be treated in cats.
Heartworms are transmitted to your pet through a mosquito bite. The mosquito facilitates the transfer of immature worms into the dog or cat's bloodstream. These immature worms (larvae) molt several times and congregate in the main pulmonary artery and then into the right ventricle and right atrium of your pet's heart. There, they mature to adults and reproduce. While the incidence of heartworm disease is low in Salem, it is NOT ZERO. Therefore Whole Pet recommends monthly heartworm preventative for ALL dogs and for ALL OUTDOOR cats.
The heartworm preventative medication at Whole Pet also takes care of common intestinal parasites like hook worms and round worms. In addition, the cat medication called Revolution will treat fleas. Round worms and hook worms are contagious to children so it is especially important to use these preventative medications if you have kids.
