4493. VET CASE STUDY: Heartworm disease prevention in the dog in 2008.

VET CASE STUDY: Heartworm disease prevention and treatment in the dog in 2008.
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow).

The owner had a male and a female Rottweilers, both being 4 years old. On 20 August 2008, Vet 1 diagnosed the coughing male Rottweiler as having heartworm disease. Microfilariae were present in his blood. Vet 1 prescribed oral Proheart tablets to the male dog. The owner gave the dog one tablet.

On 27 August 2008, the male Rottweiler had seizures and died on reaching Toa Payoh Vets. The dog died 7 days after taking the oral Proheart medication. His conjunctiva, tongue and gums were snow-white. He had massive internal bleeding and shock.

The 4-year-old female Rottweiler was examined by me later. She had the normal pink conjunctiva, tongue and gums. However, her blood had microfilariae. She has heartworm disease, known as dirofilariasis.

Dirofilariasis is the disease caused by Dirofilaria worm infections. In dogs, one form is called "heartworm disease" and is caused by Dirofilaria immitis.

My treatment for her was two injections of immiticide. She recovered fully and her blood did not show microfilariae. n 2008, prevention of heartworm disease was either the Proheart tablets or injections. The owner opted for the yearly Proheart injection.

Microfilariae are the immature larvae, or pre-larvae, of certain filarial nematodes (a type of parasitic worm). They are released into the bloodstream of vertebrate hosts by adult worms and are then ingested by blood-feeding arthropods (like mosquitoes).

The infected FEMALE mosquitoes transmit the microfilariae in their saliva to a dog when they take a blood meal. The microfilariae develop into adults inside the heart of the infected dog. The dog now has heartworm disease.

TIPS FROM DR SING Vets should not use Proheart or heartworm prevention drugs to treat heartworm disease in the dog.

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