Prevention of Heartworm Disease in Pets: Less Stressful Than Treatment
Are you sure that an indoor pet doesn’t require any heartworm prevention? The answer is NO. This is a false assumption. Indoor pets also get heartworm infection. Heartworms are transmitted in dogs by a mosquito bite and a mosquito can bite any dogs irrespective of indoor or outdoor.
Process Of Transmission Of Heartworm Disease In Dogs
A mosquito plays a vital role in the transmission of heartworm disease in dogs. When a mosquito bites an infected dog, fox or coyote it ingests microfilaria (young heartworm). It takes approximately 10-14 days for microfilaria to transform into larvae. As the mosquito bites an uninfected dog, it deposits the larvae inside a dog’s body. After reaching the dog’s body the larvae take approximately 6 months to develop into mature heartworm. Mature heartworms live for 5-6 years inside a dog’s body. Heartworm disease causes serious harm to your dog’s heart, liver, and kidney.
Symptoms of Heartworm disease
At an early stage no symptoms are seen but over the period symptoms are visible which are as follow:
- Premature aging
- losing coat luster
- Less active
- Heart failure as the disease progresses
Why Preventive Measures Are Better Than A Treatment
Saving bucks is and will always remain secondary for every pet parent. Saving a pet’s life is the primary and ultimate goal. That is why it is said that prevention is better than cure. Taking preventive measures is less stressful for your dog and it will fulfill your secondary purpose as it is cheaper than treatment.
What To Do Prior To Taking The Preventive Steps?
- The First thing to do prior to the preventive program is conducting a test to check whether a dog has heartworm infection or not.
- The test is not necessary for young dogs.
- If the preventive measures are taken without taking the test it can lead to some fatal issues in your dog’s body.
- A blood test is done to check the infection in dogs
Preventive Measure
If the result of the blood test comes negative, you can start the prevention process
- An annual check-up of your dog
- Avoid your dog’s exposure to the area where the chances of a mosquito bite is more
- Dogs below 7 months can start the prevention method without taking a test
- Many products are available on the market that is used to prevent heartworm infection.
Important Note To Consider
If the dog is already infected by the heartworms, the preventive measures can be taken but under the strict supervision of your vet.
Widely Used Products To Prevent Heartworm Infection
There are many products used by pet parent to prevent the heartworm disease but the most common and widely used products are:
- Nexgard Spectra
- Comfortis Plus
- Heartgard Plus
- Advantage Multi (Advocate)
From the above mentioned four products three products are given orally to your dog directly into their mouth or mixing it with the food and one product that is Advantage Multi (Advocate) is a spot on treatment.