What Is Alternative Heartworm Treatment For Dogs?
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Heartworm infection in dogs is an extremely serious but preventable disease. If heartworms are
left untreated, they can kill their host (i.e. your beloved pooch). Heartworms are parasites
that are transmitted from animal to animal by mosquitoes. Let's look at why these deadly parasites
are so dangerous and then we'll look at alternative heartworm treatment for dogs.
Deadly parasites
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Heartworms get their name because the adult worms actually live inside the right side of your pet's heart. They
can also inhabit the pulmonary arteries in his or her lungs. These worms are very thin but can grow to be up to
30cm long. Imagine the impact this must have on your dog's health when it has a collection of 30cm worms
living inside it's heart and lungs!
Heartworm infection symptoms can start out being as innocuous as lethargy, coughing and shortness of breath.
It's not surprising to learn that they go on to cause swollen abdomens and bulging chests, convulsions, diarrhea
and vomiting. If untreated, they eventually cause heart failure or fatal clotting in those pulmonary arteries.
Standard treatment for heartworm disease
If your dog is unlucky enough to get infected by heartworms that then go onto become adults and attach
themselves to your dog's heart and lungs, then he has heartworm disease. Preventative measures to avoid this
happening will have failed by this point.
Your vet will most likely prescribe chemical insecticides to kill off the adult worms and all their larvae. Due
to the serious nature of heartworm infection, and the possible complications involved, please follow your
veterinarian's treatment instruction if your dog has been diagnosed with heartworm disease.
Alternative heartworm treatment for dogs
Although they do kill off the adult and larvae heartworms, these insecticides are pretty toxic for your dog. So
as responsible pet owners you want to avoid having to use them as much as possible. The key here is prevention. We
want to use herbal treatments to minimize the chances of heartworm infection. We want to do this as much as
possible for any dog who is likely to be exposed to mosquitoes.
So what are we going to do? Here are two steps that you can take:
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Use a herbal formula that will reduce the likelihood of mosquito bites whilst it eliminates any larval
stage heartworms.
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Use a herbal spray that will help to repel the mosquitoes from your dog's fur.
Alternative heartworm treatment for dogs should focus on preventing the
heartworms from getting into your dog's body in the first place.
Follow these two steps consistently throughout mosquito season and you will help to minimize the
chances of your dog getting heartworm disease. Make sure that your dog
still gets tested regularly though as there is no foolproof way to prevent heartworm infection.
Want herbal products to prevent pet heartworm?
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