Safe, Effective And Natural Preventative Methods For Heartworm
For people who own dogs, these precious pups are usually treated like children more than the animals that they are. As such, it is a difficult ordeal to watch them suffer sicknesses like heartworm that when left on its own for long, can result to serious complications, even death. Here are simple natural heartworm preventative measures that will help you in this matter.
First of all, what is heartworm? Heartworms are parasitic worms that are transmitted to the dogs bloodstream through mosquitoes. Although not all mosquitoes transmit heartworms, when a carrier does bite the dog its larvae will transfer into the canines bloodstream reaching his vital organs. As you can imagine, this will be terminal for the dog when the contamination reaches the heart and lungs.
The core natural heartworm prevention tip is to make certain that your pet always has fresh and healthy food available to him. A good immune system that this results in will combat whatever infection that tries to come on the canine. Commercial foods available in the market have chemicals that will weaken the dog. A better alternative is to serve vegetables, raw meat and a helping of fruits instead.
Mosquitoes do not bite healthy animals. Hence, it will do your dog well to improve on the factors that will boost his immune system. Take care of the liver especially– it functions to remove waste and stores essential vitamins and minerals. Other than a healthy diet, keep away from any form of synthetic medication that will introduce chemicals that are detrimental to your dogs system. Moreover, avoid stress inducing situations for the canine.
Another vital natural heartworm prevention measure is to ensure that the animal engages in regular physical activities. Play and exercise with your pet. It is a good way to spend quality time with them while improving his heart and circulatory system. Red blood cells bring oxygen to the different organs; and white blood cells fights infection that will be hazardous to the dog’s health. Adult heartworms will not be able to implant itself firmly to a healthy heart.
If you live in a place where heartworms are more common than average, have regular check-ups with the vet to see if your pet has contracted any kind of sickness. You can find out if the animal has been infected through administering a simple blood test. Do not give synthetic drugs of any form to your pet unless your vet strongly recommends that he does. Otherwise, the chemicals will do more damage in the long run.
It is definitely better to employ natural heartworm preventative measures than have a pet infected with heartworm. Medicines that are known to cure this infection are highly toxic because they serve to kill the heartworms, not prevent it. Because it is a form of insecticide, frequent doses of it, however small it may start with, will be bad for the other organs of the dog as well.
Symptoms of heartworm include lethargy, weight loss, coughing and labored breathing. If you find that your pet is exhibiting these symptoms; it may be that the condition is at the more advanced stages and you need to visit your vet as soon as possible.
Excellent natural heartworm prevention articles have been written by dog expert Geraldine Dimarco to help pet owners in ensuring the health of their dogs. Visit this website to know more about crucial natural heartworm preventative measures everyone can use.
Jul 21, 2010 | | Dog Health

