Do you know what a pet emergency looks like?

April is National Heartworm Awareness Month.

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease. It is caused by foot-long worms (heartworms) that live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels of affected pets.

How do pets get Heartworm Disease?

The mosquito plays an essential role in the heartworm life cycle. When a mosquito bites and takes a blood meal from an infected animal it then bites another dog or cat and transmits the disease.

What are the signs of Heartworm Disease? Signs of heartworm disease in dogs may include a mild persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, fatigue after moderate activity, decreased appetite, and weight loss. As heartworm disease progresses, dogs may develop heart failure and the appearance of a swollen belly due to excess fluid in the abdomen. In the early stages of the disease, many dogs show few symptoms or no symptoms at all. Signs of heartworm disease in cats can be very subtle or very dramatic. Symptoms may include coughing, asthma-like attacks, periodic vomiting, lack of appetite, or weight loss. Occasionally an affected cat may have difficulty walking, experience fainting or seizures, or suffer from fluid accumulation in the abdomen. Unfortunately, the first sign in some cases is sudden collapse of the cat, or sudden death.

Is Heartworm Disease Curable?Heartworm disease causes lasting damage to the heart, lungs and arteries, and can affect the dog’s health and quality of life long after the parasites are gone. For this reason, prevention is by far the best option, and treatment—when needed—should be administered as early in the course of the disease as possible. Heartworm disease in cats is very different from heartworm disease in dogs. The medication used to treat heartworm infections in dogs cannot be used in cats, so prevention is the only means of protecting cats from the effects of heartworm disease.

How can I protect my pet from Heartworm Disease?

Annual testing is necessary, even when dogs are on heartworm prevention year-round, to ensure that the prevention program is working. Heartworm medications are highly effective, but dogs can still become infected. If you miss just one dose of a monthly medication—or give it late—it can leave your dog unprotected. Even if you give the medication as recommended, your dog may spit out or vomit a heartworm pill—or rub off a topical medication. Heartworm preventives are highly effective, but not 100 percent effective. If you don’t get your dog tested, you won’t know your dog needs treatment. Heartworm infection in cats is harder to detect than in dogs, because cats are much less likely than dogs to have adult heartworms. The preferred method for screening cats includes the use of both an antigen and an antibody test (the “antibody” test detects exposure to heartworm larvae). Because there is no approved treatment for heartworm infection in cats, prevention is critical.

Heartworm preventives must be purchased from your veterinarian. A heartworm test is performed to make sure your pet doesn't already have adult heartworms, as giving preventives can lead to rare but possibly severe reactions that could be harmful or even fatal. If the heartworm testing is negative, prevention medication is prescribed.

Meet “Milo” Marzheuser Our April 2015 Pet of the Month

Hi, my name is “Milo”, and I am an Orange Tabby 7 year old male kitty. My owners think I am special because I am a loving lap cat who enjoys shedding as much hair as possible on bags and clothes. Shhh…don’t tell Dr. Daniels, but my favorite treat is yogurt. Something funny that happened to me was the time I got a box stuck on my head and ran across the living room with it on. My owners love me so much that they let me sit in their laps for hours at a time. A fun fact about me is that I like to “lifeguard” my owners while they shower. I am so spoiled that I even get to sleep on my mom’s pillow.

Pets are an important part of your family, make sure you have the skills to take care of your furry family member. Do you know what to do during a pet emergency?

Here are some common emergency tips:

To determine if your cat or dog is dehydrated, pull up on the skin between the shoulder blades. It should spring right back; if it stays tented this is a sign of dehydration.
Signs of pet poisoning include bleeding externally or internally, dilated pupils, drooling or foaming at the mouth, seizures or other abnormal mental state or behavior.
If your pet has a seizure, make sure it is in a safe place, but do not restrain the animal. Keep your hands away from its mouth as your pet may not know who you are during a seizure and could bite you.
Signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion include collapse; body temperature of 104 degrees F or above; bloody diarrhea or vomiting; wobbliness; excessive panting or difficulty breathing; increase heart rate; mucous membranes very red; and increased salivation.
Pets bitten by other animals need vet attention to prevent the wound (even if minor) from becoming infected and to check for internal wounds. Never break up a dogfight yourself because you could be bitten.
If your pet is bleeding, apply direct pressure using gauze over the bleeding site. If blood soaks through, apply more gauze (do not removed soaked gauze) until you can reach a veterinary hospital.

For all of the above your pet should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.