How To Train A Dog

Using one of the heartworm medicines for dogs monthly throughout the year will protect your precious pet from heartworm disease throughout his life. Responsible pet owners know heartworm prevention is as important as vaccinations for their dog.

This is an insidious parasite with symptoms that may not appear until the disease is well advanced. An active dog with a light infestation of the worms may not show any symptoms which is why testing by your vet should be a part of standard health care for your dog.

The test strip used by your vet when testing your pet for heartworm will display a blue line when the disease is present. The line may be from light to darker blue with the color saturation indicating the level of the infestation. Symptoms may be difficult to see but one of the most common is coughing and your vet may hear unusual lung sounds during a routine visit. Dogs may lose consciousness briefly due to decreased blood flow to the brain and this may be confused with seizures which leave the dog disoriented for a few minutes.

A positive result from the blood test for heartworm may be followed up by an angiogram and ultrasound to determine the amount of damage caused to the animal’s organs. The antigen tests now used will not detect heartworm disease in its earliest stages but are accurate in detecting heartworms that are seven or eight months old. The blood smear exam that is often part of a routine examination will verify the presence of heartworm disease but is not sensitive enough to rule out the early presence of the parasite.

It’s sad that so many dogs develop heartworm disease each year as this parasite is so easily preventable. Mosquitoes carry the heartworm larvae and transmit it when they bite the animal. Dogs seem to be the perfect host though more than 30 species can be infected with heartworm disease.

Heartworm larvae develop inside the canine’s body and migrate to the heart and lungs as well as residing in blood vessels. The cycle begins again when the mature worms reproduced inside the dog and the microfilariae are picked up by mosquitoes and spread to other animals. One dog may have only 2-3 heartworms while another may have as many as 250 present. The worms can live inside your pet for 5-7 years with males growing to 4-6 inches and females reaching 10-12 inches in length at maturity.

Safe and cost effective, heartworm medicine for dogs provides full protection for the pet. Some of the more popular heartworm preventatives are:

Heartgard – Can be used after a diagnosis of heartworm disease and may be part of the treatment. Tasty wafers also treat hookworms and roundworms.

Sentinel – Flavor tabs administered monthly kill heartworm larvae before signs of the disease appears. Sentinel should not be used for animals who test positive for heartworm disease.

Revolution (selamectin) – A spot on treatment with multiple benefits. Revolution is an effective heartworm medication for dogs and also protects from fleas and other parasites.

Interceptor (milbemycin oxime) – A monthly oral pet medication that can be used on puppies over 4 weeks of age and also controls roundworms and hookworms. Interceptor is safe to use in pregnant and nursing dogs.

Providing heartworm prevention for your dog is simple and inexpensive. Protect your dog from parasitic heartworms and painful treatments when you buy online from a veterinarian at http://www.petscriptsdirect.com.