Mê Thú Cưng - Pet Magazine for Vietnam Số Tết | Số 6 | Tet Issue | Issue Six 2015 | Page 67
Mê Thú Cưng
Expats Pet Owner Guide for Vietnam 60 69
QIf one of my dogs has
heartworms, can he give it
to my other dogs? And can
people get heartworms from
their dogs? Does heartworms
transmitted from mother to
litter?
AAs I said above, heartwormswithout
cannot
transmit from dogs to dogs
mosquitoes. It means that without
mosquitoes your infected dog cannot
give heartworms to the other dogs and
the mothers cannot give heartworms
to the litter. However, as Vietnam is
a tropical country, Mosquitoes are
everywhere in Vietnam. So, if one of
your dogs has heartworms, other dogs
may be infected by the same mosquito.
Q In Vietnam, especially in
the southern region, due to the
hot and humid weather that
produce so many mosquitoes,
how do you prevent your dog
from getting heartworms?
is consistently above 14°C (57°F)
year-round like Saigon and Southern
Vietnam, a continuous prevention
schedule is recommended.
Q Many pet owners adopt
dogs and animal shelters
have dogs with heartworms
because they cannot afford
the treatment is it ok to adopt
a dog with heartworms? What
do you recommend for them if
they do adopt without knowing
the history of the dog?
A As aRescue and Care Vietnam), I
veterinarian working for ARC
(Animal
understand this situation. I love people
who adopt animals from shelters. They
help animals a lot. Their love to animals
is remedy for sick animals. I am sure
the adopted dogs with heartworms
will be happier and live longer with or
without treatment. I would recommend
a heartworm test to know if the dog is
heartworm ne gative or positive before
adoption. They then can decide the
adoption and treatment if needed.
A We should to help ourthe at Q Once my dog has
minimize
mosquito bites
dogs
our home and the surrounding by
these suggestions:
- Fumigate to treat mosquitoes
- Keep fish in pond to kill mosquito
larva
- Get rid of any death water in your
garden where mosquitoes can lay
eggs
Luckily now there are medical
prevention for dogs. Preventive
drugs are highly effective, and
when regularly administered, will
protect more than 99% of dogs and
cats from heartworm. We have
heartworm products like Heartgard,
Iverhart, Intercepeptor, Advantage
and Revolution. In Vietnam, I have
seen many dogs imported from
colder climates where mosquitoes
usually die off and the heartworm
threat is less severe. In Canada
and the USA, the prevention may
be 6 months on and 6 months off.
In regions where the temperature
heartworms, what’s the
treatment? How much will it
cost?
A I dotreatmentlike complicated and
not
this question
because
is
expensive. We want to kill and remove
the worms out of our dogs’ hearts
but it is not easy. Live heartworms
can dilate the heart and can create
heart failure and respiratory disorder.
Dead heartworms may break loose
and travel to the lungs, potentially
causing respiratory failure and death.
Therefore before the worms can be
treated, the dog must be evaluated
for heart, liver, and kidney function to
evaluate the risks of treatment. Usually,
the adult worms are killed with an
arsenic - based compound. I myself
use Immiiticide to treat heart worm for
dogs. This medicine is not cheap. It is
about 280 Euros.
The heart worm treatment may take
several weeks. If the heartworm
test is negative for your dog after
treatment, it is considered a success.
Q If my dog gets
heartworms, and is treated for
them, can he get them again?
If I don’t treat my dog with
heartworms, will he “outgrow”
his heartworms?
A Yes,mosquitoesheartworms again
he can get
unless
hate him and
never bite him again. If your dog has
heartworms and you do not treat him,
he can be a carrier and can be a heart
worm reservoir for the community.
Q What age of your puppy
do you begin providing
preventive treatment? How
about kittens /cats is there a
preventive program for them?
A Mosquitoesbirth.bite your puppies
may
and kittens at
However, adult
heart worm can only be in the hearts
of our dogs and cats at 6 months old
of age after the microfilaria develops in
the body. We can stop the development
of microfilaria when our puppies/
kittens are at about 3 months old
by giving them the first heart worm
prevention.
Q What type of preventive
program do you suggest to pet
owners ?
Ahave aisbrand new puppy, I think we
This an interesting question. If
you
can start prevention at about 3 months
old after full vaccination. For an older
dog and a rescue dog, I would advise a
heartworm test and if it is negative, we
should immediately start the preventive
program. I highly recommend annual
heartworm testing for pet owners
who choose to use minimal dosing
schedules or forget the prevention. If
you return your dogs/cats to colder
climates where there is no heartworm,
you can stop the prevention.
Issue 06 | 2015 | petmagazine.vn
65