Feline heartworm

ander35

ander35

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I have a cat that pants after exercising and I think people say it is probably nothing, bit could be.

Anyways, I noticed heartworm lists panting as a symptom.

I gave my cat Revolution for two months following his rescue from outside. Is that enough to prevent his getting heartworm or does he need to have taken it for 12 months straight?

Also, do the vets test for heartworm? And wouldn't the vets notice a murmur during the two exams he had?
 
cprcheetah

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I have a cat who pants after exercise, I doubt she has heartworm.  Unfortunately heartworm in cats is most often diagnosed on autopsy.  It depends on where you live whether or not the vets test for it, where I live it's not that common here so we only test dogs (which we see heartworm in more often).  In order for your cat to be fully protected against heartworm it needs heartworm prevention EVERY month, not just 1 or 2 months.  It takes about 10 months for heartworm to develop into full worms once exposed/bitten by a positive mosquito. 
 
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ander35

ander35

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I am not so sure about that. He came in from outside. I gave him revolution for the next two months. So does he need the med for 12 months or only if he is an outdoor cat?

It seems the drug would kill the juveniles and if he didn't go outside he wouldn't be exposed again?

It probably isn't heart worm, I am just OCD anyways.
 
cprcheetah

cprcheetah

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In the state I live in most of the Heartworm Positive cats are indoor cats only, I know I have mosquitos in my house all the time.  I know all the positive cats my dad (retired vet) has diagnosed were strictly indoor cats, several of them were diagnosed on autopsy.  Even though all of my cats never go outside, t get monthly heartworm prevention (I use Heartgard).
 

How does a cat get heartworm?


Heartworm infection takes place when a mosquito carrying microscopic-size heartworm larvae bites a cat. The larvae enter through the bite wound where they develop in the tissues. The immature worms then enter a blood vessel and are carried to the arteries in the lung where they cause an inflammatory reaction. Most worms die at this stage, causing even more inflammation. The worms that progress to the adult stage may live undetected for a couple of years. But, when the adult worms die, the inflammation can be severe enough to cause death. The respiratory signs associated with these reactions are called Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease (HARD).
Click to expand...
This is an excellent article on the recommendations for preventing Heartworm Disease:

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/feline-heartworm.html#top

This is kind of technical as it's geared towards vets but has some good information:

http://www.capcvet.org/capc-recommendations/feline-heartworm
 
stephenq

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As others have said panting by itself after exercise doesn't mean heartworm, but my vet told me that panting is unsual in healthy cats after age 2, but i guess it depends on the exercise level.  Where i live, New York, it isn't usual to take HW meds with an indoor cats if you have screened windows, but HW does also vary by region.   A vet in Maine where there are lots of mosquitos in the summer said that HW isn't a problem in Maine.

There would be nothing wrong with talking to your vet and discussing a HW test.
 
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