Heartworm Disease and Prevention

Heartworm Disease & Your Pet

Heartworm disease is a parasitic infection spread by mosquitoes. A heartworm infection can cause severe lung disease and heart failure that can result in death. Typical signs of heartworm disease in dogs include a mild, persistent cough, fatigue after moderate exercise, decreased appetite, and weight loss. It is important to note, however, that these symptoms may take years to develop after initial infection. Some dogs can develop heart failure or even die. Treatment for heartworm disease is very challenging and expensive. Without treatment, a dog diagnosed with the disease will worsen and face serious illness.

While cats are not natural hosts for heartworms, they can still become infected. Heartworm disease in cats is often harder to detect, as symptoms can be subtle or mimic other conditions — including coughing, wheezing, vomiting, and in some cases sudden collapse or death. Unlike dogs, there is no approved treatment for heartworm disease in cats, making prevention critical. We recommend speaking with our team about the best heartworm prevention options available for your cat.

Due to the extreme nature of the disease and the risk of treatment, Timberview Veterinary Hospital recommends keeping your dog on a year-round heartworm preventative that is administered on a monthly basis. In addition to ensuring your dog does not contract deadly heartworm disease, most heartworm preventatives also control or eliminate other parasites as well, thereby providing broad-spectrum, year-round parasite control.

While there are many different heartworm preventatives available, we carry Sentinel Spectrum. This product is easily administered on a monthly basis. In addition to preventing heartworm disease, it deworms on a regular basis for roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms.