Thursday, July 22, 2010

Heartworm Medicine For Dogs - Prevent Heartworm Disease And Painful Treatment

By D. Thurmond, D.V.M.

When your veterinarian recommends heartworm medicine for dogs it's not wise to dismiss the advice as something you can do later. Heartworm prevention can save the life of your pet and eliminate the need for harsh, expensive treatments in the future. Heartgard is the original and perhaps most recognized form of heartworm prevention in canines. A beef flavored wafer given to your pet monthly is cost effective and an important part of caring for the health of your pet.

Lungs, kidney and liver or dogs can be harmed by heartworm disease just as the heart is. The long thread-like worms can do serious damage to the organs of the animal. Spread by mosquitoes from an infected animal to a new host, the larvae circulate in the blood and mature inside the dog. At this point, heartworm disease is infectious and mosquitoes biting your dog will spread the parasites to other animals.

Young heartworms mature in about six months but cannot mature unless they pass through a mosquito. Though heartworm is diagnosed in canines in all 50 states, it is not surprising that the disease is most common in the Southeastern states where hot, humid climates provide the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

A dog can be infected with heartworm multiple times from different mosquitoes. Mature heartworms migrate to the heart of a dog and can live there for up to seven years. Dogs can have heartworms present without a diagnosis of heartworm disease as the disease is caused by adult heartworms that have invaded the heart of the animal.

Heartworms clog the arteries and the animal's heart must work harder to circulate blood. Pulmonary hypertension results when the right side of the animal's heart must push blood through blocked arteries. A strong heart can work harder and keep the blood moving but eventually the heart muscle begins to weaken as the muscle thickens. Arrythmia can result and led to death.

Fluids build up in the abdomen and in the chest causing the dog to have difficult breathing and is belly may be distended. Heartworms may also cause an immune response and the antibodies that build up as a result cause pain and inflammation in eyes and joints.

Some dogs may not show any symptoms of heartworm disease until they reach a stage where the disease threatens their life. The worms can expand into the veins that lead to the heart and even fill the right side of the heart itself. Caval Syndrome results and the animal collapses and goes into shock. Emergency surgery is the only treatment that may remove enough of the heartworms to save the dog. Death usually occurs with 48 hours of the collapse without surgery.

There is no need for dogs to die suddenly or suffer from heartworm disease at all. The flavored tablets of Sentinel and the beefy wafer of Heartgard pet meds appeal to dogs who take the medicine willingly. Revolution topical spot on drops protect from both heartworm and from fleas and is easy to apply monthly. You will need a prescription for heartworm medicine for dogs but can purchase the products at discount prices online.

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