Lake St. Louis Animal Care
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Cats get heartworm disease?

  • Heartworms are carried by mosquitoes.  The mosquito must first bite a dog with heartworms and ingests baby heartworms along with a blood meal.
  • The mosquito flies around doing its thing while the babies grown up into "L3" larvae. They are like pre-teens.
  • Now, when an affected mosquito bites your cat, some of these L3 larvae find their way into your pet's body.
  • Most of these L3 larvae are dispatched by the cat's immune system, but some times they make it to the blood stream in about 3 months.
  • They hang around for about 6 to 8 weeks, trying to figure out just where they are.
  • Finally, some of the larva will find their way to the heart.  Usually, they don't recognize it as a home and just continue to travel into the pulmonary artery and wander through the blood vessels into the lungs.
  • Eventually, they reach the end of the line and stop.  At that time, they are either recognized by  lymphocytes, that initiate an immune response; or they are able to produce a chemical that keeps the lymphocytes away. 
  • If the lymphocytes are alerted, they cause a heightened immune response that causes a mild to severe pneumonia.  Luckily, it is rarely fatal.
  • If the lymphocytes are kept away, the larva can live for a couple of years.  Although It will not mature to an adult, it will still grow and get larger.
  • Ironically, when the larva dies, it stops producing the substance that fools the lymphocytes. The lymphocytes promptly recognize the dead larva, initiate a massive immune response that is usually fatal. 

How can you tell if your cat has heartworms?

  • There are two types of heartworm tests for cats.
  • Antibody test: If positive it indicates that the cat has been exposed to heartworms.  This does not mean that it has heartworms now, only that it was exposed sometime in the past.
  • Antigen test: If positive it means that the cat is currently infected by an adult heartworm. These cases are very uncommon.
  • Usually, these cases are diagnosed only after running X-Rays and exhaustive blood work.

How is heartworm disease treated in the cat?

  • Treating is problematic.  If the larva is killed, they can cause an exaggerated often fatal immune response.
  • Because of this issue, treatment is symptomatic. The goal is to keep the cat as stable and comfortable as possible.

How is heartworm prevented?

  • There is heartworm prevention for cats.
  • Heartgard for cats is a monthly chewable treat that will prevent heartworms.
  • In outdoor cats, it should be given for at least six months from late spring to autumn.
Revolution VS Heartgard
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  • Home
  • Hours and Location
  • Our Services
    • Preventative Care >
      • Physical Exam
      • Annual Vaccinations
      • Rabies
      • Heartworm Disease
      • Fecal Parasite Test >
        • Zoonotic Parasitic Diseases
      • Lifestyle Vaccinations
      • Feline Heartworm Disease
      • Fleas & Ticks
      • Boarding Issues
    • Diagnostic Path
  • Contact