Heartworm Medicine For Dogs - Prevent Heartworm Disease And Painful Treatment

Pet owners who ignore the veterinarian's advice to administer heartworm medicine to their dog may think it is something they can add later. Heartworm disease is easily prevented by pet meds such as Heartgard. This beefy wafer is a monthly treat your dog will enjoy, is inexpensive and can save the life of your best friend and eliminate any need for expensive and painful treatment for heartworm disease.

The worms do not only affect your dog's heart but can lodge in the lungs, kidneys and liver and damage those vital organs. The long thread-like worms are spread by mosquitoes when they bite your pet and grow to maturity inside your dog's body. Within two weeks of being infected, your dog's blood can be drawn by mosquitoes and used to infect other animals.

Heartworms cannot mature unless they pass through a mosquito. Fifty states report canines diagnosed with heartworm disease though the problem is most commonly found in states where climates are hot and humid. This is not surprising as these locales are mosquito breeding grounds.

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.

A dog with a high number of heartworms may not display symptoms of the disease until it is well advanced and life threatening. The right side of the heart can become clogged with adult heartworms that expand into the veins feeding blood to the heart. This is Caval Syndrome which arises suddenly when the dog collapses nd goes into shock. Emergency treatment is surgery to attempt to remove as many heartworms from the heart as possible with a clamp inserted into the jugular vein. The animal may survive with surgery but without fast treatment the dog will die within 48 hours of onset of symptoms.

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.