Does Your Dog Have Heartworms?
There are few signs of a heartworm infection until severe damage has already occurred. Furthermore, a heartworm infection is fatal if untreated. The difficulty of diagnosis and risk of serious health problems are a dangerous combination. Learn more about heartworm prevention, detection, and treatment here.
Unlike other kinds of worms, heartworms do not infect your dog's intestines. Instead, microscopic heartworm larvae reside in the blood, and adult heartworms move primarily to the heart and lung arteries, and less frequently, in the liver. Heartworm larvae are transmitted by mosquitoes. After being bitten by an infected mosquito, the larvae will live in the blood. Maturation to an adult heartworm takes about six months. An adult heartworm, up to one foot long, can live for several years and release thousands of young larvae a day.
Symptoms of heartworm infection are difficult to observe until the late stages of heartworm damage, such as a year after initial infection. As the heart and lungs are damaged, your dog may find it more difficult to exercise and tire easily, even fainting. Weight loss, difficulty breathing, or bloody coughs are other symptoms. As you can imagine, damage to the heart and lungs poses a severe health risk.
Heartworms can only be detected by a veterinarian. A blood test can detect larvae in the blood as well as signs of adult heartworms in the heart. Another method to detect heartworms in the heart or lungs is an X-ray. However, once you recognize signs of heartworm infection and see your veterinarian, the damage to your dog is already severe.
Treatment of heartworms requires killing of both the adult heartworms and larvae with medication. In rare cases, adult heartworms can be removed from the heart by surgery. Treatment is most successful following early detection. The complications from advanced heartworm infection are more difficult to treat.
Prevention is of utmost importance, because heartworms are difficult to detect. Preventive heartworm medication is readily available in several forms, the most popular being a monthly tablet. You can also schedule routine checks with a veterinarian, but an active prevention program is highly recommended for any dog owner.
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Learn more about how to tell if your dog has heartworms or other kinds of worms, as well as treatments and preventive measures, at http://www.squidoo.com/doghasworms Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Johan_Lewis |
