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Heartworm Treatment
at Gladstone Vet Clinic

Effective Treatment Solutions
for Heartworm

cute dog heartworm treatment gladstone

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease seen in all mainland states of Australia. Dogs are more susceptible to heartworm infestation than cats, and heartworm disease also tends to be more severe in dogs. Adult worms live within the heart and large blood vessels where they can grow to more than 30 cm in length. Heartworm larvae, more commonly called microfilariae, can also be found circulating in an infected dog’s blood.

If your pet has not been on heartworm prevention we strongly recommend you speak to us about a heartworm test prior to starting a prevention program.

Please call us to discuss the best heartworm prevention program for your pet.

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Heartworms – Frequently Asked Questions

Heartworms are dangerous parasites that can live in your pet’s heart and lungs, causing serious health problems. They’re spread by mosquito bites, and once your pet is infected, the worms can grow and multiply, leading to symptoms like coughing, tiredness, and difficulty breathing. Preventing heartworm disease is much easier than treating it—regular heartworm preventatives can protect your pet from this potentially life-threatening condition.

Heartworms are transmitted from one dog to another by mosquitoes, which pick up the tiny microfilariae when they bite an infected dog. The microfilariae develop in the mosquito and are transmitted when the infected mosquito bites another dog. The heartworm larvae then migrate through the dog’s tissues and circulatory system, eventually reaching the heart and lungs where they grow into adult heartworms.
Heartworm may cause no clinical signs in the early stages of infestation, but as the worms grow and mature, they can interfere with the normal circulation of blood. This can result in signs of heart failure, and in some cases may lead to sudden death.

Detecting heartworms in your pet isn’t immediate. After being bitten by an infected mosquito, it takes several months for the worms to grow large enough to be detected. Vets use special blood tests to check for heartworms, but these tests might not show positive results until about 6 months after the infection. That’s why regular testing and prevention are so important to catch any issues early and keep your pet healthy.

No, your other pets can’t get heartworms directly from a heartworm-positive animal. Heartworms are spread only through mosquito bites, not from pet to pet. If a mosquito bites an infected animal and then bites another, it can pass the heartworm larvae along. So, while the disease isn’t contagious between pets, it’s still important to keep all your pets on heartworm prevention to protect them from mosquitoes carrying the disease.

Heartworm is easy to prevent and should be part of your pet's regular care routine.

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