Dog Heartworm Symptoms

Dog heartworm is a relatively common disease in the US. Discovered in 1856, the worms mainly live in your dog's heart and major blood vessels.

The worms, especially in the worst cases, seriously impair the heart's operations. Worse, they could also clog your dog's blood vessels. These infections result in loss of body weight, chronic cough, dropsy, shortness of breath, chronic heart failure, vision disturbances, and ultimately, death.

Since the symptoms of heartworm disease vary, it is essential that a veterinarian check your dog. Most dogs show visible symptoms only when the disease has reached the point where it is almost certainly untreatable. You should be aware of the symptoms of heartworms and look out for them:

- Dogs that have been quite active become tired easily

- Dogs that would have been otherwise healthy gasp for breath

- Regular, constant coughing 

- Dogs bred for hunting can no longer keep up with rapid chases and fall from exhaustion

- In some rare instances, the dog experiences convulsions, jaundice, and problems in the vision

- The dog becomes emaciated.

What dogs are infected by heartworm?

It used to be thought that long-haired dogs were more resistant to heartworms because it is more difficult for the mosquitoes which bring the worms to penetrate the skin through the dogs' hair. This is no longer accepted. Actually, mosquitoes tend feed on the abdominal region of the dog - an area which has little hair.

Can heartworm infection be treated?

Heartworm infection can be treated through chemical therapy if diagnosed early. Most of the chemical treatments kill the worms over some period of time. Killing all the worms in one swoop is no better: If all the heartworms were killed in just one treatment, the dead bodies would deposit in the lungs and kill the dog.

Remember also that the chemicals used in treating the worms are also as dangerous to your dog as the worms. That is why treating the disease using chemical therapy should be used with utmost care and should be handled by a veterinarian.

Sometimes surgery is needed: your vet will advise you if this is the case.

Prevention of heartworms

There are drugs available that can help prevent your dog from getting heartworms. These drugs attack the parasite in its early stages and stop the worms from becoming full-blown adults later. This doesn't mean that your dog would be free from infection - only that the infection would not develop to a serious degree.

Preventative medication using drugs can cause serious complications if your dog already has a heartworm infection, so must always be supervised by a vet and combined with regular blood texts.

In order for your dog to avoid heartworm infection, protect your pet from mosquito bites especially if there is a high mosquito population in your area or if it is mosquito season. You might want to screen the sleeping quarters of your dogs to avoid repeated bites. Repellent sprays can also be used, but these only have limited effects.

Bookmark this page

DiggDeliciousFurlRedditStumbleuponFacebookGoogle BookmarksYahoo My WebBlinkListNewsvineMa.gnoliaNetvouzSpurlWistsLivejournalFark