Heartworms are exactly
what they sound like - worms that live in the heart, and they are very
dangerous because they can result in heart failure and even death. The
good news is no pet needs to suffer from heartworm disease. It is easily
preventable.
Mosquitos carry
heartworms in a larval stage. When the mosquito bites a pet, the larvae
end up in the pet's bloodstream. There the larvae must go through several
different stages before they become adult worms that can attach inside the
heart. This process takes about six months. This is why we can administer
heartworm preventative only once a month. The medication kills any larvae
transmitted during the previous month before they get to the adult stage.
If you are late giving your dog his monthly preventative, consult your
veterinarian. If several months go by with no prevention administered, a
blood test should be performed before resuming the medication.
Yearly
blood testing is important to be sure your dog did not get heartworm disease in
spite of efforts to prevent it.Tardy
administration of the medicine, and dogs spitting out or vomiting the medicine
could allow a heartworm infection to take hold.Early detection is important because treatment for heartworm is very
taxing because of the disease caused poor health of the infected dog.Heartworm is a classic case where an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.
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