Recognizing Symptoms of Heartworms: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Dogs and cats are humankind’s cutest, friendliest, and most constant companions. They immeasurably enrich the lives of millions of people, keeping their owners healthier, more energetic, and generally in better spirits than the rest of the petless populace. However, these lovable fur-balls require a great deal of cautious preservation as well.
One of the most pervasive agents of canine/feline destruction is the heartworm. This insidious and soul-crushing monster is like something out of H.P. Lovecraft’s imagination: a microscopic cthuluesque nightmare, reaping death and disease from inside of your own sweet puppy or kitty’s arteries. It really is a horrible thing to consider.
Diagnosing Symptoms of Heartworms
Further adding fuel to the demonically daunting fire is the near impossible process of diagnosis. Finding out about these bestial little bugs is a difficult task. The symptoms aren’t recognizable until the worms are fully matured and already having a detrimental effect on your cat or dog’s health. In dogs, symptoms of heartworms include a lack of energy/exhaustion, mild or persistent coughs, reduced appetite, weight loss, and difficulty breathing. The same is true for cats but they can also exhibit vomiting, gagging, and rapid breathing.
Even if you catch the symptoms of heartworms, treatment for an animal already living with the disease is a grim prospect. For dogs, the doctoring is extensive, and expensive. It’s a long, drawn out, and costly process with no guarantee of success. For cats, treatment is impossible. They will either fight off the infection themselves, or eventually die.
Now that the pants have been sufficiently scared off of you, it’s time for some good news. These tiny terrors are easy and inexpensive to avoid. A consistent schedule of vet visits will ensure your pet a long and parasite-free life, and if you don’t have the time to deal with a monthly vet visit you can save some money by shopping online.
There are several different preventatives, but here are a couple of the cheapest and most effective medications available at your convenient pet supermarket.
Heartworms Treatment: