
Heartworms are dangerous for your dogs. They are deadly parasites transmitted to your dog by mosquitos. In this page, you get to know all about heartworms and how your dog gets them, how to treat the disease? What are the duration of the treatment and our recommended best 4 product for the cure?
If your dog has a heartworm infection and you need to come to a quick decision to decide which medicine to apply, below listed are our recommended best 4:
Pet dogs are like our families and if anyone in the family suffers from any illness, we take care and give medicines to him or her; we do that to our canine friend too. A dog’s body can be a host of many parasitic worms. Some are not that serious but if you don’t consider an illness like the heartworm disease seriously, you are in deep trouble.
Once your dog is diagnosed with heartworm disease you should immediately rush to the veterinarian and probably he or she will suggest a series of tests and treatments. If the condition is pretty grave the total treatment process can take extensive time and cost you a lot of money. About as a dog lover you should follow the old saying, ‘Prevention is better than cure’ and take proper precautions so that your pet gets a lesser chance of having the disease.
Read further to learn how to take preventive measures for your dog.
Heartworm disease or dirofilariasis is caused by nematodes (roundworms) having the scientific name Dirofilaria immitis or D. immitis. They are mainly carried by mosquitos. When mosquitos bite the dogs these worms enter into the blood vessels. The worms don’t spread from dogs to dogs.
Mosquitos carry immature worms called microfilaria, which is about 0.25 mm in size from other infected dogs and other canids like the fox, wolves, and coyote and then transfer them to an unaffected dog. The immature worms flow in the bloodstream of the dog for about 2 months and then settle at the right side of its heart and start growing.
They mature within 6 months and end up growing to a length up to 305 mm and constantly producing offspring. They can move around at the hearts and lungs of dogs till 7 years. In severe heartworm diseases, the number of worms could reach as much as 250.
The symptoms of this disease are not reflected at an early stage. Only after the worms reach their maturity the signs of the disease can be observed on dogs. Signs of infection are dry coughs, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular problems. Dogs even tend to faint even after a little exercise, feel lethargic, lose weight and lose appetite.
Their lungs get affected too. They also suffer from swollen chest or abdomen, due to fluid accumulation which is a positive indicator of the disease. That is why dirofilariasis is known as a ‘silent killer’. Although the disease is caused by nematodes, all nematodes are not harmful. In fact, some are beneficial for you and your pets.
See this video to know more:
As mentioned earlier the matured heartworms continuously produce offspring and they move around the heart and the lungs of the dog. More and more heartworms pile up in the veins, arteries, lungs and at the heart of the dog. The worms get their oxygen intake from the blood and as more of them accumulate at the lungs, the respiration system of the dog gets hampered.
Symptoms like nasal flaring or irregular breathing are common signs which are seen in the dog. Lack of oxygen finally hampers vital organs like the brain, heart, and liver. Heartworms at the heart can cause caval syndrome, which is a common phenomenon of excess numbers of heartworms in the right atrium, the ventricle, and often the vena cava of the heart of the dog. Caval syndrome needs immediate treatment.
Like all other diseases, treatment of heartworm disease involves 3 steps: Prevention, Detection, and Medication:
It is always proper to take precautionary measures than going for a serious medical treatment after you realize that your canine friend has heartworm disease. Using oral pills and having a strict observation of your dog is the first step. It can be a monthly or a six months exercise whichever the veterinarian prescribes.
Though at the initial stage of this infection it is difficult to observe the indications, regular visits to the veterinarian are a piece of pertinent advice. Since this infection is caused by mosquitos, proper care should be taken so that mosquitos stay away from your pet. Use insect repellent sprays and tie a mosquito net covering the bed for your canine friend.
It is quite impossible to detect heartworm disease at a preliminary stage. If you see a behavioral disorder or loss of weight in your dog, consult a veterinarian for an immediate check-up for regular blood tests. Loss of appetite cause loss of weight, this could be a heartworm infection.
If you don’t find any veterinarian’s chamber near your house, try and get a DIY blood test kit from the market, do regular blood tests of your pet yourself and send the samples to a local lab for results. Once multiple results come to your hands, consult a veterinarian.
Below is a link which shows you the different signs of heartworm disease in a dog:
Medicines are very important in this disease. You have seen earlier that it is quite difficult to observe heartworm infection in a dog at an early stage. But once the dog is infected, there are basically 3 kinds of medication that are used for the treatment.
The average time taken for heartworm treatment varies from 5 to 7 months. But during these months make sure your dog does ample exercises. When infected by heartworms dogs become feeble and the weakness restricts them from being the restless animals they used to be. So during the treatment time, they need to do enough exercise.
As mentioned above, the 1st medication kills the adult heartworms but their body parts crumble inside the system of your dog which tends to block the blood vessels. Exercise stimulates blood circulation which makes your dog digest and excretes them in their bowels.
Your dog should be kept under strict supervision. Even after a total treatment of heartworms in your dog, there is a tendency that the disease may resurrect once more. 6 months after the treatment, a regular visit to the veterinarian is a must so that he or she can do a blood test to see whether there are any heartworm antigens present in it or not.
Have a look at the 4 best heartworm medicines in the market. Also, check out our recommended number one product:
Why you should choose this?
Heart is the place where these worms attack in a dog and these chewable tablets take ample care of it. The tablets are made from natural ingredients (Zizzifus – 210mg, Hawthorn – 158mg, L-taurine – 105mg, Dan Shen – 105mg, Siberian Ginseng – 105mg, L-carnitine – 53mg, Grape Seed extract – 26mg, Magnesium – 26mg, Selenium – 26mcg, Coenzyme Q-10 – 5mg , Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) – 53 I.U.) which increases the muscular function of the heart making it more strong while dealing with the worms.
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Why you should choose this?
It is a powerful mosquito, teak and flea repellent. Insects die on contact and works within 10 minutes of application. It is a waterproof spray and works even when your dog is wet.
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Why you should choose this?
It is an insect repellent and deodoriser in two bottles. It has a lemongrass smell. A dog grooming shampoo and a Citronella smelling spray.
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Why you should choose this?
An ultimate detox for liver and kidney. This product is a liquid extract of milk thistles which are natural herbal weeds whose extracts cure liver, kidney and gallbladder diseases.
The heart is the main issue as heartworms target the dog’s heart. So our recommended number one product, can none other be than Nutrition Strength Cardio Support, which takes care of the heart primarily. They offer a money-back warranty which ensures their confidence in the product and its efficiency.
Heartworm disease is a fatal disease for your dog. While going through the whole article, you must have realized how serious the issue could be. Whether your dog has a foul scent or has a flea or teak infestation can’t be the primary cause of your worry if compared to heartworm disease. Realize, you won’t be able to observe the symptom of the disease during the primary stage.
You will witness that your dog is suffering after it has been suffering from the last six months. Some of us consider the little canines to be our soft toys. Well, they are not! They suffer from illness more but they can’t express. Heartworm infection is a severe issue. Make sure they don’t suffer so much. After all, dogs are our best friends.
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