What Every Pet Owner Needs to Know About Heartworm
Heartworms are parasitic by nature and passed on from mosquitos. When a mosquito bites an infected dog, the mosquito picks up microscopic larval worms developing in the mosquito gut. The disease is therefore transferred to other pets, through mosquito bites, with your pet included.
All animals can have heartworms, including your favorable furry friends. Human beings, ferrets, and sea lions are also prone to heartworms. Altogether, pets sheltered strictly indoors are also susceptible. Mosquitos can easily infect cats and dogs that stay home. It is crucial to keep your furry friends body prevented from the disease all year round.
The signs and symptoms of heartworm disease in dogs can differ from those of cats. These potentially fatal parasites can stay in your garden for 4 to seven years, reaching up to a foot in length. Some of the signs of heartworm disease in your dog include,
- Weight loss
- Coughing
- Decreased appetite
- Abnormal fluid accumulation
- Exercise intolerance
Cats usually show respiratory signs through a condition called Heartworm-Associated Respiratory disease (HARD). Presenting signs include:
- Fainting
- Asthma-like attacks
- Coughing
- Weight loss
- Anorexia
- Periodic vomiting
- Seizures
- Difficulty walking
- Abdominal fluid accumulation
Without routine testing, it can be impossible to detect heartworms in pets. Mostly, the signs come at later stages when the damage is already advanced or irreparable. Meaning with annual testing, you can minimize your furry friends’ chances of being affected by heartworms. But again, it can be difficult to diagnose heartworm infection even with yearly testing. This may be due to:
- If all adult heartworms are male
- They have not reached adulthood
- The heartworm load is still low to be detected.
Heartworm Awareness is crucial because; Heartworm infection, if not treated, can be a life-threatening condition. The parasites damage the lining of the blood vessels in the pet’s lungs, leading to thickening and inflammation of vessels. With the increase of these worms in the body, more damage can be done to the heart.
How to prevent your pet from getting heartworms
For effective heartworm prevention, dosage should be administered all year round. Mosquitos’ seasons vary with different weather conditions. Sometimes it gets warm during colder days; therefore, be on the lookout because mosquitos may breed. Most pet owners are now cautious about which chemicals their pets are exposed to. Heartworm preventatives have been tested to check their safety on pets. These substances contain substances that do away with worm larva. For dogs, preventatives come in injectable form, topical and oral form. For injectable drugs, it’s only effective for six months. The ones available for cats are topical.
In conclusion, heartworm treatment is lengthy, and sometimes it can be stressful for your dog. The treatment requires close monitoring and hospitalization, hence, making the treatment more expensive than prevention. Therefore, as a pet owner, follow all the set guidelines to ensure a happy ad healthy pet.
