Free Dog Training Tips And Videos

Protect Your Family Pet With Heartworm Medicine For Dogs To Avoid Costly Treatments

Pet owners who ignore the veterinarian’s advice to administer heartworm medicine to their dog may think it is something they can add later. Heartworm disease is easily prevented by pet meds such as Heartgard. This beefy wafer is a monthly treat your dog will enjoy, is inexpensive and can save the life of your best friend and eliminate any need for expensive and painful treatment for heartworm disease.

The worms live in the heart only when the dog is severely infested with the parasite. Lungs, kidney and liver can also be harmed by heartworm disease. You can imagine how much damage can be done by the long thread-like worms living inside your pet. Mosquitoes spread heartworms from an infected pet to a new host. The mosquitoes draws heartworm larva circulating in the blood when he bites an infected dog. The heartworm matures to the larval stage inside the mosquito in the next two weeks. At this point the disease is infectious and the bite of the mosquitoes transfers heartworm to other dogs.

Heartworms cannot mature unless they pass through a mosquito. Fifty states report canines diagnosed with heartworm disease though the problem is most commonly found in states where climates are hot and humid. This is not surprising as these locales are mosquito breeding grounds.

A dog can be infected with heartworm multiple times from different mosquitoes. Mature heartworms migrate to the heart of a dog and can live there for up to seven years. Dogs can have heartworms present without a diagnosis of heartworm disease as the disease is caused by adult heartworms that have invaded the heart of the animal.

The heart clogged the parasites must pump harder to keep blood flowing. Pulmonary hypertension results when the right side of the heart has to work harder to push blood to the lungs. A strong heart can pump the blood harder but in time the heart muscle will begin to thicken and become weak. Arrhythmia leading to the dog’s death may be the end result.

If the heart is weakened, fluids build up in the abdominal cavity and in the chest. Dogs will have difficulty breathing and appear to have distended bellies. Untreated heartworm disease causes other problems, too. The heartworms stimulate an immune response in the animal and the natural buildup of antibodies can cause inflammation in eyes, joints and kidneys causing pain and damaging membranes.

A dog with a high number of heartworms may not display symptoms of the disease until it is well advanced and life threatening. The right side of the heart can become clogged with adult heartworms that expand into the veins feeding blood to the heart. This is Caval Syndrome which arises suddenly when the dog collapses nd goes into shock. Emergency treatment is surgery to attempt to remove as many heartworms from the heart as possible with a clamp inserted into the jugular vein. The animal may survive with surgery but without fast treatment the dog will die within 48 hours of onset of symptoms.

There is no need for dogs to die suddenly or suffer from heartworm disease at all. The flavored tablets of Sentinel and the beefy wafer of Heartgard pet meds appeal to dogs who take the medicine willingly. Revolution topical spot on drops protect from both heartworm and from fleas and is easy to apply monthly. You will need a prescription for heartworm medicine for dogs but can purchase the products at discount prices online.

Preventive heartworm medicine for dogs guarantees your dog will never have to undergo heartworm treatment that leaves him weakened for weeks. Buy the most effective heartworm prevention meds at http://www.petscriptsdirect.com .

Tweet This Post