Ostler Pet Lover

Short of eliminating mosquitoes, there’s no real way to protect your pets from heartworm other than to give them medication designed to kill the parasites. Dogs are most commonly infected by heartworms, but cats can also get heartworms. These worms usually live in the right side of the heart, in the lungs and in the pulmonary arteries. Outdoor pets are more likely to be affected than indoor pets.

By the time an animal shows signs of heartworms the disease is usually advanced. The severity the disease depends on the number of worms. Sometimes animals don’t show any symptoms, but when they do those symptoms may include; cough, loss of appetite, rapid heartbeat, convulsions, swelling of the abdomen, diarrhea, and vomiting.

To undergo treatment for heartworms an animal must be otherwise healthy. Heartworm medication can be dangerous and an animal should be evaluated by a veterinarian before being given the medication.