How to prevent heartworm for dogs? Your dog’s health is vital. If heartworm continues to spread in your dog, he can experience various symptoms, including lethargy, loss of appetite, lameness, poor blood circulation, coughing, wheezing, and more. Heartworm infection is an extremely serious infection that leads to heart failure, severe breathing problems, kidney failure, other body damage, and even death in dogs, mostly dogs, in particular ferrets, cats, and dogs with congenital heart disease. Fortunately, heartworm has no known cure. However, there are things you can do to prevent and treat heartworm in dogs.
Heartworm in dogs is transmitted through mosquito bites. Dogs can be infected with heartworm from larvae in soil, ticks on dogs, or from other dogs that have the larvae and eggs. The larvae and eggs develop into adult heartworms when they travel through the bloodstream to locate the veins and arteries that supply your dog’s heart and lungs. Once infected with heartworm disease, the larvae stay in your dogs lungs until they develop into a worm.
You can reduce your dog’s risk of contracting heartworm by keeping his environment clean and debris free. Clean your dog’s bedding and do not feed him any rodents or insects. Rodents and other parasites living in your pet’s environment can potentially carry heartworm. Do not allow your ferrets to go outside unsupervised. If your ferret has an unsupervised outdoor adventure, you should supervise him at all times.
You should also be aware that your dog may not show obvious symptoms of infection. It is possible that your dog could have mild symptoms like sneezing or coughing. Your veterinarian can conduct certain tests to confirm the infection if these symptoms are present. Some symptoms include an abdomenache, lethargy, poor appetite, coughing, wheezing, loss of coordination, lameness, hiccups, increased heart rate, swollen legs, and dark discoloration of the lungs or eyes.
Heartworms are caused by parasites that attach to the heart and blood vessels causing serious illness and complications. Affected dogs will lose their appetites, become sickly, have difficulty breathing, suffer from lameness, cough, and swelling in the lung region. Infected dogs become weak and are prone to serious infections. The most serious symptoms include pulmonary bacterial infections, severe anemia, and heart failure. A veterinarian can perform some tests to confirm the diagnosis. Blood tests will confirm whether your dog’s blood shows signs of inflammation.
Preventing heartworm infection is simple as long as your dogs have access to a clean environment and constant access to a vet. If you have multiple dogs, or your dog is aging, it is more difficult to prevent this disease. A vet will usually treat heartworm infections in cats, which is more easily managed. However, heartworm infections can also occur in dogs that are not properly immunized.
Prevention involves a careful assessment of your dog’s lifestyle and diet. Malnutrition or starvation will make it more difficult for your dog to receive the nutrients it needs. Control your dog’s exposure to mosquitoes by using mosquito repellents and limiting the areas where your dogs wander. Proper insect control will minimize the risk of disease.
Preventive care is the key to a healthy heart and lungs. A well-rounded diet, plenty of exercise, and regular veterinarian check ups are important parts of good preventive care. Heartworm disease in dogs can be serious if not treated in a timely manner so it is imperative that your dog be checked often for any signs or symptoms. With proper preventative measures, your dog can live a long and healthy life free from the threat of heartworm infection.