Infirmary
The following Boxers are rescues who come to us in pretty bad shape and require extra medical attention. We will post weekly updates on our patients. As always, donations toward their medical care are greatly appreciated.
HEARTWORMS
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Adult heartworms live in the heart and pulmonary arteries of infected dogs. They survive up to 5 years and during this time, the female produces millions of baby worms (microfilaria). These microfilaria live in the bloodstream, mainly in the small blood vessels.
Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes. The female mosquito bites the infected dog and ingests the microfilariae during a blood meal. The microfilariae develop further for 10-30 days in the mosquito and then enter the mouth parts of the mosquito. The mosquito bites another dog and transmits the disease to that other dog.
When fully developed, the infective larvae enter the bloodstream and move to the heart and adjacent vessels, where they grow to maturity in 2 to 3 months and start reproducing.
Adult worms cause disease by clogging the heart and major blood vessels leading from the heart. They interfere with the valve action in the heart. By clogging the main blood vessels, the blood supply to other organs of the body is reduced, particularly the lungs, liver and kidneys, leading to malfunction of these organs.
A lot of dogs infected with heartworms do not show any signs of disease for as long as two years. Unfortunately, by the time signs are seen, the disease is well advanced. The obvious signs of the disease are a soft, dry, chronic cough, shortness of breath, weakness, nervousness, listlessness and loss of stamina. A lot of these signs are most noticeable following exercise where dogs can faint from the lack of air passing through their lungs.
There is some risk involved in treating dogs with heartworms. The treatment to kill adult worms is an injectable drug that will kill the worms in the heart and adjacent vessels over a period of about 30 – 45 days.
Complete rest is essential after treatment: some adult worms die in a few days and start to decompose; the remainder will die during the 30-45 days. As they break up, they are carried to the lungs, where they lodge in the small blood vessels and are eventually reabsorbed by the body. This is a dangerous period, and is it essential that the dog be kept quiet and not be allowed to exercise. The first couple of weeks after the injections are very critical because the worms are dying. A cough is noticeable for 7 to 8 weeks after treatment in heavily infected dogs.