Heartworm in cats

Heartworm in cats is caused by the same parasitic worm – Dirofilaria immitis– as in dogs, the transmission path between animals is the same, spread by mosquitoes, but the disease has several major differences.

While the dog is the natural host for heartworm the cat is not.

A dog can have many adult heartworms. A cat often no more than eight.

In dogs the disease is caused by the larger size and number of worms, in cats the disease is caused by the smaller worms but a greater inflammatory reaction to them, particularly in the lungs.

In dogs the average lifespan of a heartworm is 5 to 6 years, worms can grow up to foot in length. In cats average lifespan is 2 to 3 years, maximum length around 8 inches.

Because the size of the organs in cats are generally smaller, a fewer number of worms can cause adverse reactions.

Signs & Symptoms. 

Symptoms in cats differ from those in dogs because the heart worms are more likely to infect the lungs.

In cats the first symptoms usually show up as coughing or wheezing. If the disease a left to progress, further symptoms show as weight loss, loss of appetite, vomiting and eventually death.

There are two stages of the disease in cats, first stage would usually occur within 70 to 90 days, when the smaller worms have migrated from the skin to the heart and lungs.  At this stage the lungs become inflamed and the result is the classic coughing and wheezing.

Second and much worse stage occurs when the worms die, as the worms break down they poison the blood, this causes a massive immune response, overloading the cats system causing it to go into shock.  At this point death is most likely, unfortunately at this point no treatment is available.

What can be done then?

So if no treatment is available, then what can we do?  Clearly prevention is better than cure. 

Dog owners are well aware of the risk of heartworms.  Cat owners on the other hand are less aware, unfortunately for cat owners the disease is so hard to detect that it can often go unnoticed till it’s to late.

There is no treatment available for cats at this point, but there are effective prevention medications that – as a bonus also combat fleas.  Application is simple, just a case of applying monthly between the shoulder blades. So no fleas and no worms!

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Heartworm in dogs

Heartworm disease in dogs is the result of an infection of the parasitic worm – Dirofilaria immitis. Dogs contract this heartworm after a bite from infected mosquito.

To understand how to prevent this debilitating condition in your dog let’s take a look at the life cycle of the worm.  The life cycle of the worm begins when the mosquito that bites the dog injects a small bit of saliva and previous blood meal into the dogs skin. this injection by the mosquito contains anticoagulant compounds which reduce blood clotting in the area of the mosquito is feeding from, this injection from the mosquito may also contain microfilaria -larvae- from a previous blood meal.

The injected larvae grow in the dogs skin for up to 2 weeks before they migrate to the dogs heart. After about two months the small worms have completed their journey from the skin of the dog to its pulmonary artery where they take up residence, then over the next three months, they continue their growth into adult worms.  Adult female worms can grow up to 12 inches in Length.  They continue to grow and breed and increase in numbers.  The offspring that they produce are known as microfilaria, these then migrate into the bloodstream and circulate throughout the body.

Microfilaria can live up to two years in your dog’s blood stream waiting for the next mosquito to bite the dog and transfer them to the next host.  Adult heartworms can live 3 to 6 years in your dog’s body.

All dogs are at risk of catching heartworm disease, but dogs living in warmer climates are more prone to the disease where is dogs and cooler climates and less susceptible to mosquito bites.

How disease symptoms make themselves apparent is by coughing and wheezing, an intolerance to exercise, loss of appetite, though some dogs just show a general decline in conditioning. Heartworm disease initially causes damage to the tissues of the heart but over time the worms can make their way to the lungs, this stage of the infection causes the classic wheezing and the coughing up of blood. If the growth of these worms is left unchecked they will continue to migrate through the body making their way to the liver. At this point it takes a massive toll on the doge immune system, and death is certain if the disease remains untreated.

Treatment is available for infected dogs, it is expensive and it will kill the worm, the issue being though the dead worms will leave the organs and enter the bloodstream, where they then start to breakdown, this causes a massive toxic shock to the dog and death again is a very real possibility. Clearly prevention is better than cure.

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