Heartworms are a deadly problem that dogs and cats can get if they are not given preventive medicine, and it must be treated at an animal hospital to save the pet’s life. The heartworms can cause lung or heart failure and it’s much easier to prevent this issue than to treat an animal at an animal hospital after they get infected.
How Do Dogs and Cats Get Heartworms?
Heartworms get into the dog or cat via a bite from an infected mosquito. The worms then live and grow and migrate to the heart where they can grow extremely long and clog it up. However, you can prevent your pet from getting this terrible disease by giving them preventative medication you get from the animal hospital.
In order to get heartworm preventative medicine, the veterinarian will take a small amount of blood from your pet and test it to see if there are any heartworms in the blood. If not, it is safe to give them the preventative medication, which normally is in the form of a pill or chewable treat given each month.
First Stages of Heartworm Disease Causes Coughing, Tiredness
If the dog or cat already has an infestation of heartworms, then the animal hospital must treat them to kill off the heartworms. There are four stages of heartworm infestation, Class one is mild with only an occasional coughing as a symptom, Class two is moderate and means your pet could have symptoms of coughing and tiredness.
Severe Heartworm Disease Can Kill Pets
Class three is these symptoms plus breathing issues and heart and lung issues, and Class four is the worst, with a life threatening infestation and a large amount of worms, and may require surgery to save the pet’s life. Animals are treated with special drugs to kill the heartworms, but it can be a dangerous treatment, and that’s why it’s best to give preventative medicine every month so your pet won’t get infested with heartworms.
The bottom line is to bring your pet to an animal hospital like Western Vet Group in Torrance, California to get preventative medication so your pet won’t suffer from heartworms. You can also connect with them on Facebook for more updates!