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| Many veterinarians consider
heartworms the most dangerous internal parasites that effect dogs. |
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| They live in the heart, particularly the
right ventricle and
pulmonary arteries, and can cause
congestive heart failure,
heart disease, and ultimately, death. |
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| Adult heartworms reach six to twelve inches in
length and can live for five years. They cause the heart and blood vessel walls to
thicken and expand. This leads to high blood pressure, heart failure,
kidney failure, and
liver failure. |
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| Heartworms are most commonly transmitted by
various types of mosquitoes. An infected dog carries thousands of heartworm
microfilariae in his or her bloodstream that are passed on to other dogs by the
mosquito. | |
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| If you’ve learned all you want to know about heartworms
and would like to know how to prevent them, then go to our
Heartworm Prevention
page. If you would like to learn more; read on! |
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| The Heartworm Lifecycle |
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 | Mature heartworms release thousands of microfilariae into a dog’s
bloodstream. When a mosquito bites the dog, it ingests many of the larvae
along with the dog’s blood. |
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 | Inside the mosquito the microfilariae
molt twice before becoming infectious. |
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 | When this infections mosquito bites your
dog it leaves its saliva, containing the heartworm larvae, in the bite wound on
your dog. Three to four days later the larvae begin a journey to your pet’s
heart. During this passage the heartworm larvae molt twice
more. |
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 | Approximately six months after the
mosquito bites your dog the heartworms are mature and releases a new generation
of microfilariae into your dog’s bloodstream, completing the
cycle. |
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Now that you know about heartworms, learn how to prevent
them! |
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| Because mosquitoes transmit heartworm disease,
virtually all dogs in the Willamette Valley are at risk.
Learn how to prevent heartworms at our
Heartworm Prevention page! |
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