Here in Fort Lauderdale, warm, humid weather means mosquito season never really ends. It’s easy to underestimate just how dangerous one mosquito bite can be for your pet. That one bite could be the beginning of a serious health threat to your dog or cat: heartworm disease. Animal Hospital of Fort Lauderdale has compiled information on how heartworm disease develops to help pet owners appreciate just how important prevention really is.
Heartworm Disease and Mosquitoes
Heartworm disease begins when a mosquito bites an animal already infected with heartworms. In doing so, it picks up microscopic baby worms (called microfilariae) that circulate in the infected animal’s bloodstream. Over the next 10–14 days, those baby worms develop inside the mosquito into an infectious larval stage.
When the mosquito bites another pet, it transmits those larvae through the skin and into the new host’s bloodstream, kickstarting the heartworm lifecycle.
Now Your Pet Has Heartworm
Once inside the new host, the larvae migrate through tissue and blood vessels, heading for the heart and lungs. Over several months, they grow into adult heartworms. These parasites can reach up to 12 inches long and take up residence in the heart, lungs, and related areas, where they thrive and reproduce.
- In dogs, adult heartworms can live 5 to 7 years.
- In cats, heartworms typically survive 2 to 3 years.
Adult female heartworms produce microfilariae, which circulate in the bloodstream. If another mosquito bites your infected pet, it picks up these microfilariae, completing the transmission cycle and spreading the disease to new hosts.
This means every untreated pet becomes part of the chain, even if they appear healthy.
The Symptoms of Heartworm Disease
As heartworms grow and multiply, they begin to block blood flow and damage internal organs. Pets may develop symptoms such as:
- Coughing
- Fatigue after exercise
- Difficulty breathing
- Weight loss
- Heart failure in advanced stages
Unfortunately, symptoms often don’t appear until the disease is well underway, especially in dogs. In cats, the disease can manifest suddenly and may be fatal even with very few worms present. Dogs are more likely to develop heartworm disease than felines.
Breaking the Heartworm Cycle
Heartworm prevention is simple and incredibly effective. Monthly preventatives (chews or topicals) or annual injectable options for dogs stop larvae before they mature. But even with consistent use, veterinarians strongly recommend yearly heartworm testing. Why both?
- Heartworm preventatives work backward; they kill larvae from the previous month.
- A missed or late dose could allow an infection to develop.
- Annual canine heartworm testing ensures prevention is working.
Heartworm Disease Prevention in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Understanding the heartworm lifecycle reveals how quickly and quietly this disease can take hold. Prevention and testing give you the power to break the cycle and protect your pet for life. Animal Hospital of Fort Lauderdale offers heartworm testing and preventatives for pets in Fort Lauderdale and from areas like Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Oakland Park, and Wilton Manors. Contact us to schedule a heartworm test for your pet.
