Hola Dallas Voice readers, and welcome back to my monthly Woof column. First of all, thank you all for supporting me over the last four years, and thank you to those who voted for my Isla Veterinary Boutique Hospital in Addison, as we just recently won our fifth Dallas Voice Readers Voice Award for Best Veterinarian. I opened Isla Vet five years ago, and we have won the RVA every single year since.

That is a big honor and a very humbling experience for me. Thank you, Dallas Voice and voters for making that happen. Also, congratulations to the rest of the winners, and let us continue supporting our community and our allies.

Well, let us jump right into my Woof column topic: April is Heartworm Awareness Month, and it is very important that all of my dog and cat parents are made aware of what heartworms are, because we see them in Texas quite often.

Heartworm is a blood parasite that affects dogs and cats (among other mammals), and it is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has the microscopic worm.

It cannot be transmitted from dog-to-dog or cat-to-cat; it needs the mosquito to be able to spread.

Some people think heartworms can be seen in the stools, but this is not the case since it is a blood parasite. Once the mosquito that has this parasite bites a dog or a cat, it typically takes about six months for the microscopic baby to travel through the bloodstream to the heart. But once it becomes an adult, it can grow up to a foot long.

When this parasite becomes an adult and reproduces, it can cause different symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is excessive coughing. Over time, heartworm disease can cause permanent damage to the heart and to blood vessels around the heart, and — if left untreated — it can even lead to life threatening complications. We usually see heartworm disease affecting dogs much more commonly, but it affects cats as well.

Unfortunately, some pet parents are under the impression that strictly indoor pets cannot get infected with heartworms. But since when do mosquitoes need to ask for permission to come inside our homes?! Here in Texas, we can see heartworm infections year round, even in the winter. According to a 2019 survey by the American Heartworm Society, Texas is one of the top 10 states in the nation with the highest heartworm incidence. In fact, if you search for dogs through shelters or rescue groups, you may notice that many dogs that are not up for adoption yet are heartworm-positive and are not available because they are being treated.

Diagnosing heartworm infection starts with a simple and fast blood test performed through your veterinarian, and it usually takes about 10 minutes for results to be available. If they are positive, your veterinarian may recommend further tests for confirmation and more thorough assessment.

Heartworm disease in dogs is treatable, and you can visit the American Heartworm Society’s website (HeartwormSociety.org) for more details and an outline of what it entails. But it does take some time for the treatment to be completed, and it can be somewhat cost prohibitive for some families. Plus, the parasite can cause permanent lung and heart damage in our dogs, even if the problem is diagnosed early on.

Lastly, the treatment itself can lead to adverse reactions that could be concerning. But even then, we always strongly recommend appropriate treatment for dogs that are positive for heartworm infection. You may read about a “slow kill” treatment option, but it is not recommended because it can take months or years for the heartworm parasites to die, and, not only it is not guaranteed to be effective, it also gives more time for the parasites to cause further permanent damage to your pet’s organs.

Sadly, there is no treatment for heartworm disease in cats.

Thankfully, this disease is easily prevented. We have topical, oral and injectable forms of prevention to choose from. As with everything in life, these options have pros and cons, but your veterinary medical team can help you find which product may work best for your baby and for you.

It is extremely important to know that prevention should be administered for year-round protection here in Texas. Heartworm prevention can only be obtained through your veterinarian or with approval of your veterinarian’s office and a valid annual physical exam and heartworm test. We also recommend using a prevention product that repels mosquitoes to provide another barrier against heartworm infection.

I recommend that you have a good conversation with your veterinary medical team about heartworm disease and that you assess your lifestyle to identify the best approach for heartworm prevention for your baby. I hope this information helps someone out there, and please help us spread the word about this important and deadly parasite so that we can do our best to reduce the high infection rate that we see in Texas. Thank you all for taking your time with me and big abrazos for everyone!

Dr. Josh owns Isla Veterinary Boutique Hospital at 14380 Marsh Lane, Ste. 110 in Addison. Call him at 972-738-1111 or visit IslaVet.com.