Pets need access to quality veterinary care to ensure good health and general wellness. At Wintermere Pointe Animal Hospital, Dr. Santiago provides services to residents of Winter Garden to make sure their pets' needs are well taken care of. We are a full-service animal hospital dedicated to protecting your furry friends from a variety of animal health issues, including heartworms.
Heartworm Prevention for Pets
It’s essential to learn about specific diseases that could affect your pet, as your pet's health is vital. Heartworm disease is a severe condition that results in heart failure, lung disease, organ damage, and in extreme cases, death among pets. These worms are spread through mosquito bites. You will need a veterinarian to do some blood tests to confirm the presence of these worms in your pet.
Heartworm prevention is essential and a valid concern for pet owners. Heartworm prevention is something that every pet owner can do to help their pets stay healthy. Heartworm preventives come in different forms, including injectable medications and chewable pills. It is advisable to consult with your veterinarian before administering any preventives to pets.
Can I Get Infected By My Pet?
Only mosquitoes can pass heartworms, so it isn't possible to contract them from your furry friend. However, heartworms can infect people in rare cases, but they don't complete their life cycle. If your dog or cat has heartworms, monthly pills and injectable medicines can be administered depending on the pet's lifestyle and weight.
How Can I Tell If My Pet Has Heartworms?
It is possible to tell when your pet has heartworms, but there are initially no definite symptoms of this disease. As the worms infiltrate the lungs and heart, most pets develop a cough, and with its progression, the pet produces abnormal lung sounds. Failure to treat heartworms leads to the pet's death. Treatment options are based on the severity of the condition.
Although it isn't easy to tell if your pet has heartworms during the initial stages, as the disease worsens, it shows signs of persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, loss of weight, fatigue, and reduced appetite. In severe cases, pets develop heart failure and have swollen bellies due to excess fluids in the abdomen.
Heartworms can be fatal if left untreated, so it's best to check in with your veterinarian if your pet is showing any of these signs. Pets need to go for regular veterinary checkups to detect heartworms and other diseases. Heartworm preventives are also very effective, especially when administered regularly.
Visit Wintermere Pointe Animal Hospital for Heartworm Prevention
If you are a resident of the Winter Garden, Clermont, or Wintermere areas and have concerns about heartworms affecting your cat or dog, contact Wintermere Pointe Animal Hospital to schedule an appointment with Dr. Santiago. Call our team today at (407) 554-3422 or reach us through our website by using our online contact form.
