HeartWormer: Why Prevention is Better Than Treatment?
The most dreaded and an extremely expensive disease that makes pet owners go nuts with their peanut sized salaries; Heartworm is nothing but a nightmare. Its invasion and gradual expansion in the host animal slowly and gradually damages the lungs and blood vessels or wherever it resides, for that matter. The damage done is permanent and cannot be reversed which is why prevention is better.
REASON 1
Heartworms are transferred by mosquitoes and there is no way that one can find if the mosquito had heartworms or not. One mosquito bite can transmit the worms into the bloodstream of the pet where these parasites multiply into thousands and damage the arteries. Therefore, it becomes difficult to gauge the parts that are damaged permanently. Moreover, heartworms can stay in the host for years without developing any significant symptoms in the body and the harm they do over time is irreparable. Prevention is thus the only way to avoid the pet from permanent internal damages.
REASON 2
Heartworms can recur even after the dog has been treated for it. The reason being it is caused by an infected mosquito which can bite anytime, and treatments only cure the disease. They don’t provide immunity to combat the disease in future or kill the mosquito causing the disease. Therefore, prevention is necessary.
REASON 3
If we go by the facts, dogs that receive preventive treatments year-round have shown to be more protected from the disease. This is because, even if the infected mosquito bites the pet that is on preventives, the treatment kills the microfilaria and the adult heartworms as they enter the bloodstream and prevents them from reproducing, thus disrupting their entire lifecycle. Therefore, these preventives must be given and continued year long. A skip in the treatment may expose the pet to these dreaded worms.
REASON 4
Even if we earn a handsome amount of money and are able to pay the cost of the treatment, we don’t calculate the pretreatment-work that may result in a whopping $1500 bill amount. The preventatives, on the other hand, hardly cost you $37-$40 for a Monthly supply. So, isn’t it smart enough to rather prevent the pet from contracting the disease and undergoing such pain rather than spending profusely on the treatments and the recuperation that follows?
Preventive Measures
Use insecticide containing sprays and products that will help in keeping the pet clear off mosquitoes.
Preventatives that contain ivermectin like Heartgard Plus or Nexgard Spectra must be used year-round to impart holistic protection against young and adult Heartworms.
Get your dog tested for heartworms at least once a year to ensure he is protected. This also applies to the ones that are already on preventives.
Buy Heartworm Preventives for dogs
David joined CanadaVetCare in 2013 as a product analyst and veterinary assistant. Being a passionate pet lover and keen animal health researcher, David had always found ways and solutions to help pet parents to improve their pets’ health. He is always happy to answer pet health-related queries and recommending pet parents for the right pet product for their furry companions.