Most of the pet owner thinks that heartworm is a disease which generally affects dogs only. But this is not the truth. Instead, your cats are at the same risk. However, there is still a small difference in how the heartworm parasite affects your cats. Distinct from dogs, the heartworm doesn’t grow more in cats as they are not always their target. But still, there are negative consequences associated with the heartworm like lung failure, direct impact on the immune system, etc. So, let’s dive more into this and find out its treatment and prevention.
Reason your dog Gets Heartworms: As heartworm is a parasite, a mosquito is a major source that transfers this parasite to the dogs. Generally, a natural mosquito bite infects the dog with this parasite that starts growing on their body. Similarly, the mosquito becomes the root cause for transferring the same larva to other dogs.
The heartworm resides on the dog’s body in the form of the larva. The larva is also considered as the initial stage of this parasite. This parasite then grows into a small baby which is called microfilaria. This microfilaria enters the dog’s bloodstream and starts affecting their body. The total tenure for its adulthood takes over 6 months when you will start visualising the negative results.
How to Prevent Heartworm in Dogs: Now, this is something practical knowledge that every pet owner must consider at their own level. Interestingly, it is possible to stay prevented by this disease. The best way to keep your dog away from heartworm is to halt the larva growth in its initial stage. There are many skin products which help you kill the larva and make them inactive without further growth.
Also, you should always maintain the habit of grooming your dog on a regular interval of time. In most of the case, the larva develops beneath the hair clumps on your dog. Hence regular grooming will omit such clumps and keep them away from the parasite attack.
Treatment for Heartworm: Currently, in terms of prevention, you have the basic options that can keep the problem away from your dog. But when we talk about its treatment, it’s more considered that your dog is already affected by the diseases and is showing negative signs.
Common Signs of Heartworm: This is somewhat a complex task to examine as there are not any initial signs that can help you get the initial alert about this problem. But apart from common signs, there are many symptoms that you can consider:
- Weak Immune system
- Loss of Appetite
- Lethargy
- Sudden Weight Loss
- Breathing problems
- Symptoms of Asthma
- Fainting
It’s obvious to experience these symptoms for many other health troubles too, but if you observe most of these symptoms, you can be sure about the growth of heartworm parasite on your dog.
So, whenever you search for the reliable source of medicine, Total Pet Supply is the place where you can make all the prescribed purchases without having a second thought.
