Heartworm disease is a problem for dogs, cats, and other animals and is a severe ailment. Heartworms are parasites that enter your pet’s bloodstream by biting a mosquito with the disease. Your pet will become the parasite’s permanent host following an infected mosquito bite.
If a mosquito bite strikes an animal with heartworm infection, this treatable disease is set off. The fact that heartworms reside in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels is what gives them their name. Heartworm illness most frequently affects dogs, cats, ferrets, and cats as pets in the home.
The signs and symptoms your dog experiences will vary depending on where the heartworm is situated in its development. Knowing these signs could also be indicators of other ailments is essential.
Heartworm Disease in Pets
Heartworm disease is a risky condition that is rapidly developing. The more quickly disease is diagnosed, the higher the likelihood the animal will recover. If a cat or dog is suffering from heartworms, there are very few early symptoms of the disease, making it crucial to check for the signs of heartworms with a test performed by a veterinarian.
Symptoms
Heartworm disease symptoms include coughing, breathing issues, weight loss, exhaustion, and an expanding belly. However, these symptoms are not noticeable unless the disease has advanced and your animal’s critical state. Heartworm illness has no obvious warning signs or signs.
Each stage of heartworm disease’s progression increases the severity of treatment. This is a significant reason why early detection is crucial for your dog’s recovery choices and capacity. Check here to get additional information.
Diagnosis
A quick blood test could determine the severity of your pet’s illness. Cats can be difficult to detect; prevention is always the best choice. The best method to guarantee your pet’s health is to ensure they are on a regular heartworm treatment regimen and make sure you schedule regular doctor appointments.
Your veterinarian will look for Heartworm antigens in your pet’s blood to determine whether they have the disease. Five months after an infected mosquito bit your pet, heartworm antigens could be detected first. Look up “Pet wellness exams in Doraville” for the best results.
Treatment
One of the first things to be aware of is that treatment for heartworms and prevention vary significantly. Heartworm disease may be prevented, and prevention is easy and effective. Animals already sick because they have contracted the disease are provided treatment options.
Heartworm treatment could harm your pet’s body and lead to serious health issues. Heartworm treatment is costly and involves numerous appointments with a vet for blood tests, X-rays, hospitalization, and injections. Most patients receiving their first heartworm therapy are admitted to the hospital for an adulticide. It is a medicine that eradicates adult heartworms.
Prevention
Heartworm is a disease that can be prevented. Please make an appointment immediately if your pet isn’t already taking a preventive heartworm medication that your vet has prescribed. If prevention is this easy, there is no need for your pet to be exposed to heartworm infection.
Maintaining your pet’s preventative medication is the most effective way to avoid heartworm disease. Although your animal is currently on preventative heartworm medication, taking them for an annual heartworm test is recommended.
The prevention cost is less than the treatment of the condition once it has progressed. Hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms are all preventable by using specific heartworm-prevention drugs. You can get more details on this page.