Heartworm is a fatal parasite that could lead to life-threatening diseases such as lung failure , heart diseases and other damages to the organ in pets. It is a type of roundworm that can mature into adults and at the same time they can rapidly multiply their numbers by living inside a pet’s body. The main organs which are responsible for the basic functioning of a body such as muscles, blood vessels, pulmonary artery and the heart are consumed by these parasitic roundworms and they can live inside a pet for as long as 7 years consequently leading to various health issues. Male heartworm varies in length than the female heartworm and they can reach upto 9 and 12 inches respectively.
How Do Pets Get Heartworm?
Heartworms cannot be transferred from a pet to another pet and hence they need a medium to get injected inside a mammal’s body. Mosquitoes serve as an intermediate and their bites directly transfer the parasite into dogs, cats, and other mammals. They come in various stages and go through a process while completely maturing into adults. First stages of heartworm are found inside a pet’s body as a baby worm and they already exist in the bloodstream of a newborn pet. Second stage starts when a mosquito feeds on an infected dog and hence the larvae gets matured into an infective stage. It takes a period of 10-14 days to develop the infection. Third stage starts with the onset of a bite wound , where infected larvae get inside a pet’s body, and within the period of 6 months they properly mature into adults.
Signs of Heartworms in Pets
It is difficult to determine the disease while just observing your pet. Some may develop different conditions than the other’s as everyone’s body reacts to the pathogens in their own ways so here are a few signs that pet hospital Newport Beach has mentioned after years of experience into the particular field.
- Sudden weight loss.
- Seizures and episodes of fainting.
- Difficulty in breathing.
- Lower energy levels in the body.
- Change in food pattern.
- Onset of Asthmatic conditions.
While these are the signs, a pet doctor Newport Beach suggested not diagnosing the disease by oneself but to always look out for a professional in such cases since it is considered to be one of the most malign diseases. If you see your pet behaving abnormally or if you see the repetitive nature of the signs mentioned above , you can schedule an appointment with your trusted professional .
Prevention in Pets
The disease is very dangerous adding to the tough part it comes with while damaging the immune and other organs of the body but that doesn’t mean it has no cure. It is possible to treat all the stages of a heartworm in pets , the only efforts are that it is mostly time consuming and it can also be very stressful for your pet. The treatment starts basically with hospitalization followed by vaccination regarding heartworm adulticides along with some general exercises that can last for weeks. Well as you can see it isn’t practical for us to protect our pets from ever getting bitten by a mosquito and hence we can follow the preventive measures. Deworming is a medication which stops the growth of larvae into maturing from an early age. The basic idea is not allowing the larvae to complete its period cycle . Some skin products related to topicals are also available to resist the growth of these dangerous parasites. We already mentioned that this process is time consuming and also being a year-round task you should always be there to monitor your pet’s health from these fatal parasites. You can also opt for pills which are aimed at being consumed either monthly , or semi-annually to kill these harmful pathogens.
Bottom Line:
The thing you should know and be aware about is that this disease can affect your pet’s mental health drastically too . So before heading out to find a perfect professional to diagnose your dog , have a word to your nearby expert , such as veterinary hospital Newport beach, or try to learn about the Heartworms by going through some blogs or articles , as the one been provided here to make sure that you reach out to the right place.
