The thought of your pet being infected with heartworm is a scary thing. It’s especially scary because most veterinarian offices have plastic models of heartworm infected hearts sitting on their reception counters. It looks awful and the thought of your dog suffering through this sort of thing tears on your own heart strings.
The fact is though is that heartworm is treatable even if you’ve never given your dog any preventative medication for it. And, although some dogs have been known to die from it, it is a very rare occurrence. As with any pet illness, a strong immune system will help a dog to fight off this dreadful affliction.
Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes just like many other infectious diseases. So, giving your dog heartworm medication during the winter months is not necessary if you live in a climate where the temperature drops below freezing in winter. During the summer months however, you dog may be at greater risk from contracting this infection and so you may want to consider giving your pet some sort of preventative medication such as Revolution or Heartgard. Revolution is comes in little liquid vials and it is poured onto the dog’s skin at the back of their neck. It soaks into the skin and into the blood stream. It is actually an all-in-one treatment for fleas ticks and heartworms. Heartgard on the other hand comes in pill form. You generally need to give your dog his medication once per month during heartworm season. The amount depends on their weight. Also, you should never give your pet these meds if you suspect that he is already infected with heartworm.
So what are the symptoms of heartworm? Heartworm infection is actually tricky to detect without a blood test. Symptoms can include lethargy, loss of appetite, weight loss, coughing, diarrhea or vomiting. These symptoms are common with many ailments so you won’t know for sure until you take your dog to the vet to test his blood.
If you discover that your pet has been infected with heartworms, your vet will have a treatment program that he or she will recommend but it is very costly and can sometimes result in the death of your dog because the medication itself is toxic . This is where if you have pet dog insurance, you will be grateful. You may also wish to explore more natural alternatives to heartworm treatment or even prevention if your dog is not already infected. One natural herbal remedy for the purpose of preventing heartworm is Black Walnut. It comes in a tincture and you can add a few drops to your dog’s water dish as an effective prevention. The amount and frequency of the dosage will depend on the size of your dog.
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