Pets are a great addition to any home. However, there are costs involved to caring for a pet. When it comes to diseases and diseases a pet can befall, heartworm is quite common. Pet owners should ask: What is your pet's life worth $ 5.7 a month? That's all it costs protect your pet against the parasite. Once a month heartworm treatment can prevent your pet from becoming infested with heartworms.
Heartworm, one of the most dangerous parasites in domestic animals, are particularly insidious because they often show no signs at all until the infected animal – usually a dog – is heavily infested and severely ill. In fact, according the American Society for heartworm, most dogs do not show physical signs of infection until the disease has progressed to the point where treatment is no longer feasible.
In other words, when signs of heartworm are visible, usually too late to treat the dog with the disease. The best way to diagnose the parasite in dogs is through a blood test done by your veterinarian. A blood sample taken from the veterinarian is examined through a microscope for the presence of microfilariae – immature parasite. If microfilariae are present, it means that your dog has adult heartworms in the heart muscle and should be treated by them. The treatment is long, involved process, and may be dangerous for your dog, so prevention is extremely important. To understand the importance of the parasite Heart of routine preventive health of your dog – and the health of other dogs in your area – you need to understand that heartworm is, how transmitted and how it affects your dog.
What is filaria
Heartworms are parasites that live roundworms mainly in heart muscle of dogs, although there is an increasing incidence of parasite found in other animals, including cats, wolves, foxes, skunks and ferrets. They can grow as fourteen inches. A heartworm only time can kill your dog, but infected dogs can have up to 300 adult worms live within their hearts. A heartworm can live up to seven years and produce millions of microfilariae in their lives.
Microfilariae are also a danger to your dog. The microscopic worm larvae live in your pet's bloodstream and travel through your circulatory system. When present in large numbers, can clog the tiny blood vessels and affect the circulation, causing multiple problems.
The signs of heartworm infestation varies with the number of worms, the location of the worms, the time the worms have been present and the amount of damage to the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys of adult worms and microfilariae.
Adult worms cause damage by clogging the heart and major blood vessels leading from the heart. Their presence keeps the heart valves function properly, and reduces the blood supply to the lungs, liver and kidneys. This leads to a malfunction of these organs, such as cirrhosis of the liver.
The most obvious signs of heartworm infection is a chronic mild, dry cough, shortness of breath, low strength, weakness, apathy and nervousness. Because affect circulation heartworm and interfere with the delivery of oxygen to the body, these signs are more evident after exercise. A dog with heartworm infestation advanced you can even pass out during or after strenuous exercise.
A veterinarian can observe other signs of heartworm infestation in the examination. He or she may hear abnormal heart sounds and lung, or a note of the symptoms of congestive heart failure. The abdomen and legs may swell to from fluid accumulation, and the dog may lose weight or be anemic. Infected dogs may die suddenly during exercise or excitement of renal heart failure.
How heartworm Spreads
Heartworm is spread from an infected dog to another by mosquitoes. The cycle begins when a mosquito feeds on blood from an infected dog. The mosquito ingests the blood that is infected with microfilariae – immature parasite. Microfilariae that live in the digestive system of mosquito in the next two to three weeks, maturing there. When ripe, they move from the digestive system the mouthparts of the mosquito. The next time the mosquito feeds on blood, microfilariae – now called infective larvae – are deposited in the skin of the animal. From there, they burrow into the skin to a blood vessel and transported through the bloodstream to the heart where they settle to mature into adults. Within two to three months, the larva is a sexually mature adult, and begin to produce microfilariae which is released into the bloodstream to start the cycle all again.
Heartworm prevention – What dogs should be protected
Because heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes, is more common in states where the mosquito population is high – but it has been reported in 50 states. In states that have a problem mosquitoes throughout the year, all dogs must be treated for heartworm prevention every month. In other states, dogs should be examined to heartworms in the onset of mosquito season and if they are infected should be treated with monthly heartworm prevention until the season mosquitoes.
About the Author:
Brian Jenkins is a freelance writer who often writes about topics pertaining to the care of pets and health options for pets such as Pet Meds
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Symptoms of Heartworm
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