I live in a northern state. Although heartworm disease in cats was once confined largely to warm and wet areas, it has now spread globally. Do I need a prescription for my pet’s heartworm preventive medication? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling on heartworm preventives states that the medication is to be used by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. The results are also difficult to interpret because a positive result doesn’t necessarily mean an infection. The larvae or parasites hatch, turn into worms and then travel up a vein into the heart. Cats with clearly apparent signs of heartworm disease may require additional supportive treatment in the form of intravenous fluids, oxygen therapy, cardiovascular drugs and antibiotics. These tests will also help veterinarians assess a cat’s risk of further complications. Remember to read package instructions before you administer any medication to your pet. Year-round prevention is the safest, and is recommended. Cats that live in the southeastern and upper midwestern areas of the United States should consider the use of a preventative. Your community may have a greater incidence of heartworm disease than you realize—or you may unknowingly travel with your pet to an area where heartworms are more common. Do heartworm prevention drugs only prevent heartworms? Infected mosquitoes carry the larval form of heartworms. Cats with heartworm are placed on a monthly preventative and short-term corticosteroid therapy (prednisone) to manage respiratory signs of heartworm disease. Yes. The most common signs of heartworm disease in cats deal with the respiratory system—difficulty breathing, coughing and a high respiratory rate—and are often referred to as heartworm-associated respiratory disease (HARD). The medication is useful in preventing adult heartworms from forming and multiplying. This is called HARD or heartworm-associated respiratory disease. The expiration date is established by a series of tests mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to provide assurance that the product is effective and has undergone no significant deterioration. This means heartworm preventives must be purchased from your veterinarian or with a prescription through a pet pharmacy Prior to prescribing a heartworm preventive, the veterinarian typically performs a heartworm test to make sure your pet doesn't already have adult heartworms, as giving preventives can lead to rare but possibly severe reactions that could be harmful or even fatal. The test does not confirm whether the infection is current or resolved. RT @AHS_Think12: It's a heart! I have missed 2 months of heartworm prevention for my cat. HARD is an all-encompassing term used to describe the vascular, airway and interstitial lung lesions caused by the death of immature worms or the death of adult worms. Because there is no approved treatment for heartworm infection in cats, prevention is critical. The worm itself is a filament-like, slim worm that completes its life cycle in mammals. The number of respirations per minute; one respiration equals an inhalation and exhalation, Having a hard time breathing; breathing takes great pains. Most clinical signs are related to problems with lung function. Many factors must be considered, even if heartworms do not seem to be a problem in your local area. Heartworm diagnosis also depends upon a test for the presence of female worm antigens. The infection occurs when a mosquito pierces a cat’s skin and, in so doing, allows entry of heartworm larvae that it has picked up from another animal, most commonly an infected dog, into the victim’s bloodstream. Treatment options are limited for this serious condition. The key to providing year-round protection against feline heartworm disease—especially in the warm, muggy sections of the U.S. where mosquitoes proliferate—is the routine administration of such preventive medications as selamectin, milbemycin and ivermectin to all cats in a household. Copyright © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. However, research scientists are looking at this possibility. An antibody test is also available, but cats will test positive up to several months after expelling all worms. The death of heartworms in a cat can lead to sudden respiratory distress and shock. To know the symptoms are very similar to asthma or bronchitis by contacting the American heartworm Society during. Prednisone is recommended weeks of age sudden collapse or death that means a young animal can gain enough weight bump. Also help veterinarians assess a cat prescription for my pet ’ s heartworm after. 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