How to treat Heartworm in Dogs - By: kinal

Heartworm is caused in pets via a roundworm called Dirofilaria immitis.

Heartworms are parasitic worms, which inhabit the heart muscle and lungs of infected dogs. If not trated in a timely manner, it can lead to death due to heart failure or pneumonia. Heartworms may infect more than 30 species of animals and humans as well apart from dogs.

Heartworms are parasitic worms that normally live free floating in the right ventricle of the heart and nearby blood vessels. They are transmitted from one individual to another by mosquitoes. They can be diagnosed with blood tests, and/or X-rays, along with other tests. One major concern about this disease is that its symptoms don’t show right away. Most of the time it may even take a full year before your dog suffers from its common effects like coughing, fatigue, or blood discharge. Worse, it could even be too late for your dog to recover from the disease at this point and may prove fatal.

While easy to prevent, heartworms continue to be a major health problem for dogs all over the world. Preventing heartworms is as simple as giving your pet a monthly medication containing ivermectin. Heartworm preventative should not be administered without testing your dog beforehand or without a prescription. Veterinarians will give a blood test to your pet to check for parasites before issuing a prescription. This is important because the medication in these preventatives can cause life-threatening reactions to dogs who already have heartworm disease.

If your dog has a chronic cough that is soft and dry, nervousness, shortness of breath, listlessness or general weakness, then it could be infected with heartworm. Dogs typically have heartworm for years before any physical symptoms appear, so they should not be treated lightly when they do appear.

Dog heartworm disease can be treated by the following pet medications.

Adulticide
Microfilaricide
Melarsomine dihydrochloride

An antigen detection test is widely popular for dogs. Another type of blood test looks for microfilaria. Veterinarians can also perform a blood smear test to determine the presence of microfilaria. If they are found in the blood, then they are also in the heart.

You should readily treat your dog for heartworms because infected dogs can move into the area with new owners and spread it. While treatment options vary consistent year round protection is the best course of action as they say 'Prevention is better than cure'.

About the Author

April O'neil Email ID: Aprilo@totalpetsupply.com Total Pet Supply is today's trusted online pet medicine store, dispensing the best quality in over-the-counter products, at the most affordable prices.

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