Although the old axiom by Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” was originally meant as fire-fighting advice, it is applicable for the health of your pets. This runs specifically true in terms of heartworms in dogs. Prevention will be much cheaper ?n comparison to the cure and here’s what you might want to know.
Many folks don’t understand that this parasite is only transmitted into a dog through the bite of an infected mosquito. While that is true, even areas that do not have a great deal of mosquitoes, like dry areas, still have reported cases of heartworms. All fifty states and many countries globally have reported this infection in pets. Even locations before many veterinarians would swear there does exist virtually no possibility that having your pets infected, the pure simple facts are, where there are mosquitoes, there is a prospects for heartworms.
About seven months after your pet has been infected, the larvae will grow into a full adult worm. This is when they get dangerous and commence to relocate. The ultimate resting spot for the heartworm is within the animal’s lungs, its heart or surrounding blood tissue. This is when they’ll burrow in and make a home for themselves. At that point they will reproduce in large numbers. Some reported cases have had as much as two hundred and fifty worms living on the inside of only one animal.
One worry you may put to rest right now is the fear that this parasite can infect humans. This tends to not take place as there are virtually no reported cases where one has been infested. Also, the worms do not reproduce in humans as they quite simply can’t complete their lifecycle. The only malady is usually a small lesion which resembles a tumor and form in the lungs.
Finding information about heartworms on the web
Can one dog infect another? No, one pet can’t infect another animal. Only through the bite of an infected mosquito can a dog itself be infected. This is certainly true even if a mosquito bites a dog which is carrying the parasite after which flies over and bites another pet. Heartworms in dogs won’t be transmitted to that other pet. There is an incubation period in the insect once infected. That is why your next animal is safe until the mosquito actually becomes a carrier of the parasite.
Heartworms in dogs isn’t something that you should ignore. If you don’t treat the pet that has been infected, that animal can die. Prevention is so much cheaper than a cure. For only 35 to 80 dollars, based on the size of your animal, you’ll be able to buy enough medicine to avoid heartworms in dogs for an entire year. An exceptionally economical solution to what is actually a very expensive situation to deal with.
Curing heartworms in cats is not simple
For a pet’s long and healthy life, your spending just a little in the prevention of heartworms in dogs shall be best ultimately. Doing away with the worms after infestation can run into the hundreds of dollars. Save the grief and purchase the meds. Another benefit from prevention is the fact current medicines also help alleviate problems with whipworms, roundworms, and/or tapeworms. All of this prevention in one treatment. All in all you will be more content and have the companionship of your dog for many years into the future.
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