Pets Need Protection from Mosquito Bites, Too

Pets Need Protection Against Mosquito Bites, Too

BY CHERYL RAHAL, D.V.M. (With sidenotes from Toby the clinic kitty)

With our relatively dry climate, you may think Heartworm Disease isn’t a cause for concern in Phoenix. While the incidence of heartworm-infected dogs is lower in Arizona than in other states, it is here and the numbers are growing. The exact reason for the increase is unclear, but factors are related to climate change, the influx of pets and people to Phoenix (because it’s so awesome to live here), and simply the fact that we need to get better at preventing it. According to the Companion Animal Parasite Council, over 900 positive cases were reported in 2020 in Arizona. That’s about one in every 300 dogs tested. I would hate for that one to be your dog.

It Only Takes One Bite

Spread by mosquitoes, heartworm disease can be devastating, causing pulmonary hypertension and heart failure in dogs. When an infected mosquito bites, it transmits the larva or baby stage of the parasitic worm (Dirofilaria immitis—for you science nerds). In canines, the larva floats in the bloodstream for 50–70 days before making its home in the pulmonary arteries and the heart when it matures into adult heartworms and breeds, producing more worms within its host, and the cycle continues. (Mosquito bites infected dog. Infected mosquito bites another pet.)

Protect and Prevent

It’s as easy as a monthly beef-flavored chewy treat, to an annual injection. If your pet has missed more than four months of preventatives, or has never taken one, the American Heartworm Society recommends a blood test to screen for the disease prior to prescribing the preventative. Most veterinary clinics use a multi-antigen test to screen for heartworm disease and tick-borne diseases, including Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, and Anaplasmosis. Ehrlichiosis is far more common (1 in 50 dogs tested) in our area than Heartworm disease. For this reason we recommend a yearly 4Dx blood test. Ehrlichia is a single-cell organism that invades white blood cells and causes symptoms like bleeding from the nose, fever, joint pain and vomiting. For prevention, a monthly flea and tick preventative is given.

Dr. Cheryl Rahal is a doctor of veterinary medicine at The Pet Wellness Center in North Phoenix. Her sidekick, Toby, spends his days alongside her at the clinic.

Toby’s Take on Heartworm in Cats

Toby: All I know is cats can get heartworm and it’s bad. I’m staying in the Toby the clinic where there are no clinic kitty mosquitoes. My family tells me there is no treatment for cats infected with a heartworm. That’s scary stuff! To my fellow felines that are braver than I (Ha, like that’s possible), if you go outside, get on a heartworm preventative! It’s that easy folks.