WORTHINGTON -- The ice on Lake Okabena is still very intact. I don't see anybody on the ice, which is good, but the mere fact that the ice is still here continues to frustrate me.
Spring will show up at some point; I just hope that it won't wait until July to do so. With warmer temperatures there will be an emergence of the least desirable thing that has ever lived in Minnesota.
I am referring to the mosquito.
This insect is more than just an annoyance to me. For one, I can't stand the smell of mosquito repellent, and this little blood sucker can have some very negative effects on my three musketeers. I am referring to my three Labradors: Decoy, Ace and Gunner.
Mosquitoes carry a disease called heart worm. This is a very serious problem if not treated and can very well result in your favorite pet dying at an early age.
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Heart worms are just what they sound like. They are a parasite that is transferred to your dog by a mosquito that has bitten an infected dog and then decides to take a bite out of yours.
The mosquito picks up something call microfilaria when it bites an infected dog. It's this microfilaria that is released into the new host. One microfilaria means that the dog will become infected with one heart worm. Many bites by an infected mosquito will result in many heart worms. This microfilaria takes about six months to reach adulthood as a full grown heart worm that looks a lot like a stand of spaghetti. Adult heart worms clog the heart and inhibit blood flow in the heart and other organs. If the condition gets bad enough death will result. Once they reach adult stage that start creating offspring, which is really just more microfilaria.
Oddly enough, these offspring will not grow into an adult heart worm without spending some time at cooler temperatures. How is this done you might ask? Well, all that you need is another mosquito. They bite your infected dog, pick up the offspring microfilaria and then head on to the next victim. A viscous circle exists and it is up to you to protect your dog from it. Treating a dog with mature heart worms is far more difficult and costly than just preventing it in the first place.
If a medicine is administered, and all of the adult heart worms are killed instantly, the heart worms release and float around until they lodge in a bad place and death can be the result. Treatment of adult heartworms is accomplished by a slow kill. This allows the body to absorb the heartworms a little at a time which has the best chance of saving the animal. Killing these intruders is best done when they are still in the microfilaria stage.
This is done with a monthly pill that you give the dog. You will need to get a heartworm test done by your vet first to make sure that no adult heartworms are already present. The once a month pill kills the microfilaria before they mature and keeps Fido in tip top shape. I don't think that I could ever forgive myself if one of my hunting partners died because I failed in my duties to protect them. Dogs can do many things but they cannot take themselves to the vet.
House dogs can also get heart worms, so even my wife's new house dog, Skeeter, gets his monthly preventative.
I have heard many dog owners spout the fact that they have never had a dog with heart worms and that they have never treated a dog ever. I have never been in a serious car accident either but that does not keep me from wearing a seat belt.
Do the right thing and be a responsible pet owner. Get your dogs tested and keep current with the prevention. Fido can't say the words thank you but you can see it in their eyes if you look. Don't forget that cats can get heart worms, too. The treatment is different so check with the vet for more information regarding cats.
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Summer will come someday and mosquitoes will be right behind. Make a note to treat your animal, better yet just do it today.
