What You Need to Know About Heartworm Protection
Most pet parents know that they need to worry about making sure that their pet is healthy, including being worm free, yet many pets are unprotected against heartworms. There are some important things that you should know about heartworm disease, which should open your eyes as to how necessary heartworm prevention is.
What Is Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm disease is the condition that results from the long-term residence of heartworms. Heartworms cause lasting, lifelong, and life-shortening damage to the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels. Heartworm disease can exist in dogs, cats, ferrets, and some wild animals, but dogs are their most desired and appropriate host for growth and propagation. If a dog gets heartworms and it goes untreated, it could lead to the dog harboring over a hundred worms at once.
Signs of Heartworm Disease
Dogs and cats do not get affected by heartworms in the same way. Most cats can get heartworms without showing any sign of it, although the damage can shorten their life span. Dogs, on the other hand, have severe symptoms.
Some of the signs of heartworms in dogs include:
- Fatigue, inactivity, lethargy
- Decreased appetite and weight loss
- Swollen belly (in advanced stages)
Your cat will exhibit much milder symptoms, including:
- Coughing
- Vomiting
- Decreased appetite
- Weight loss
If you notice any signs of heartworm disease in your pet, you should seek treatment right away. The earlier treatment begins, the better the prognosis for your pet.
Prevention Is Key
The treatments available for heartworm disease in dogs are effective, but they don’t do anything to heal the damage caused by the worms. In cats there are no available treatments. For these reasons, you will want to make sure that your pet is fully protected against heartworms and other parasites.
We are here for you to make sure that your pet stays happy and healthy. Contact us today for an examination of your pet, testing for worms, and flea and worm prevention treatment.
