Types of Prevention
Prevention
You cannot eradicate heartworms—or mosquitoes, for that matter—but you can prevent heartworm disease from developing in your dog, even if he or she gets bitten by an infected mosquito. Most heartworm disease preventives are designed to be administered every 30 days. They work by ridding your dog of immature heartworms, called larvae, that may have been deposited by a mosquito bite over the period of about a month before you administer the preventive.
Consistency
In order to be effective, prevention must be uninterrupted. That's why it is so important to give your dog a heartworm disease preventive dose on schedule and on time. Skipping a dose or being late gives heartworm larvae the opportunity to survive, develop and mature to a stage at which they will be impervious to future preventive medication.
Convenience
Your dog's heartworm disease preventive may also treat and control intestinal parasites. A broad-spectrum product that's effective against the most prevalent and dangerous canine parasites—hookworms and roundworms—is a great choice.
Palatability
Since it is important that each dose be completely digested, your veterinarian will help you choose a heartworm disease preventive for your dog that is easy for you to give and for your dog to take.
Formulation
Heartworm disease preventives are available in pills, tablets, chewables, topicals and injectables.
Treatment vs. Control
Control of a parasite means the REDUCTION of parasitic Reinfection through repeated administration on a regular basis.
Treatment of a parasite refers to the ELIMINATION of 90% or more of an existing parasitic population.
Which Worms Where?
Not all parasites carry the same threat. Heartworms pose a serious threat to dogs, while roundworms and hookworms are the most serious of the intestinal parasites.
From a regional standpoint, these are the most common threats:
Prevalence of Parasitic Worms in the US by Region5
|
Roundworms |
Hookworms |
Whipworms |
| Northeast |
2.2% |
1.7% |
1.5% |
| Midwest |
2.6% |
3.3% |
1.5% |
| South |
1.6% |
4.0% |
1.5% |
| West |
2.8% |
1.4% |
0.5% |
| National |
2.2% |
2.5% |
1.2% |
5Little SE, Johnson EM, Lewis D, et al. Prevalence of intestinal parasites in pet dogs in the United States. Veterinary Parasitology 2009;166:144–152.