Heartworm Disease
- Author Lawrence Andy
- Published August 29, 2007
- Word count 518
Heartworm Disease
In this article, you can expect to find information on:
What is heartworm disease?
Heartworm life cycle
Heartworm disease symptoms
Heartworm disease treatment
Heartworm disease prevention
We also included a section on the products which will help in heartworm disease treatment and prevention.
What is Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms known as Dirofilaria immitis. They reside either in the arteries of the lungs or the right side of the heart. Dogs of any age or breed are prone to heartworm disease.
Heartworm Life Cycle
Heartworm infection is spread from one dog to another through mosquito bites. Therefore, we can expect places with a large population of mosquitoes to be the easiest place to contract heartworm disease.
Let's take a look at what happens during a heartworm life cycle:
Young heartworms, known as microfilariae enter into a dog's bloodstream with the help of female adult heartworms.
When a mosquito bites a dog, it takes in blood which may contain the microfilariae.
During the next 2 weeks, the microfilariae mutates into infective larvae while still in the mosquito's body.
When the mosquito bites another dog, the infective larvae enter into the dog's body through the wound.
After 3 to 6 months, the infective larvae enter the heart where they change into adult worms. They may live in dogs up to a period of 7 years.
Heartworm Disease Symptoms
There may not be any symptoms of heartworm disease for dogs with mild infections.
However, heartworm disease symptoms for serious infection cases may include:
Weight loss
Reduced appetite
Fatigue after exercise
Mild, persistent cough
Reluctant to move or exercise
Heartworm Disease Treatment
Heartworm disease treatment consists of eliminating the adult worms and the microfilaria separately using different medications.
A medication known as adulticide is used in the process of eliminating the adult heartworms. Hospitalization is usually recommended for this treatment.
Some serious side effects may arise with this heartworm disease treatment such as:
More blood vessels are blocked as the corpses of the worms dwell in the lung arteries.
Inflammation is worsened by the presence of decomposing worms within the blood vessels.
Inflammation and swelling also occur when foreign substances are released into the dog's circulation as the worms are being eliminated.
Complete rest for your dog is essential to prevent lung damage from the dead and decomposed worms after the treatment. To ensure a speedy recovery, please keep your dog from excitement and exercise for at least a month.
After all adult heartworms are eliminated, another drug is given to eliminate the microfilariae.
Heartworm Disease Prevention
Although treatment for heartworm disease is available, it can be a slow, complicated and expensive process. Rather than seeing your dog suffer, you can help him/her through heartworm disease prevention.
Heartworm disease can be easily prevented with safe, easy and inexpensive medications such as daily and monthly tablets, and monthly topicals. These medications disrupt the development of heartworms before they can even cause an infection.
Either of the medications is extremely effective in heartworm disease prevention, provided the feeding instructions and frequency are strictly adhered to.
Lawrence & Andy founded Reviews-Corner.net. You can also expect to find more information and tips on various topics related to dogs & babies at http://www.reviews-corner.net
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- How Much Per Meal Should I Feed My Puppy?
- Selecting the Perfect Pet for Your Lifestyle Made Easy: Experts 7 Tips
- Horse Box Hacks: How Equine Awnings Elevate Your Travel Experience
- Why Regular Pet Grooming Is Important For A Happy And Healthy Pet
- Unleash Your Dog’s Potential: Effective Techniques for Improving Communication and Obedience
- The Illusion of CSR Training Is Finally Reality - BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL CAREER PATH FOR CSRs
- The Diet of a Dog Affects Dental Health
- Do Pets at Home Remove Ticks? What You Should Know About Pet Tick Removal
- The Importance of Cat Furniture Accessories for Your Feline Friend
- Top 6 Pet Products You Need for Your Sweet, Furry Friend
- A QUICK GUIDE ON HOW TO USE PET GROOMING GLOVES PROPERLY!
- Dogs and Cats Compared
- Blog posts 5 Useful Tips on How to Clean Fish Poop in Tank
- The Importance Of Spending The Extra Cash On A Larger Rabbit Hutch
- Street Dogs in Nepal | Animal Welfare Nepal | Oxsa Nepal
- The Importance of Pet Care
- Tips on keeping your bird happy and healthy
- Why pet insurance – and why now?
- 600 million dogs
- What You Need to Know About Canine Deafness
- Pet Relocation - Tips For International Pet Moving
- Dengue Mosquitoes Best Ways To Avoid Dengue
- 5 Unique but Helpful Services for Your Pets
- To Meet Hero Dog Crate Mat
- Are you looking for a valid ESA letter? A complete guide to get an ESA.
- Facts about Best Self Cleaning Litter Box Uncovered
- Are Bird Toys Useful for Your Pet?
- Pets-ability is the Best Online Pet Supplies & Pet Medicine Store
- Cat Litter Choices
- Animals Turn to Nature for Self-Medication