Tips about your dog

As their name suggests heart worms live in the heart of a dog where they can do a lot ofdamage. It is important for a dog owner to be aware of the dangers of the parasitic heart worm.A responsible dog owner must be alert to the risk of a heart worm infestation and takepreventive measures. If an infection is suspected you must seek treatment from yourveterinarian.Heart worms are also known by the Latin name of "Dirofilaria immitis." They normally live in theright ventricle of the heart where they float freely near the blood vessels. They are transmittedby mosquitoes that pass them from dog to dog in their saliva when they bite an animal. So evenyour dog does not come into contact with other dogs it is at risk. Cats are also prone to them.An infestation of heart worms goes through four stages. The treatment prescribed by aveterinarian will depend on what stage the dog has reached.In the first stage a dog that has been infected with heart worms by a mosquito bite will not showany signs of infection. The heart worms will not even show up in a blood test. This is whyprevention is important. Speak to you veterinarian about heart worm prevention when your dogis still a puppy. A dog that is older than seven months can have an adverse reaction totreatment. So tackle the issue before it reaches that age.The worms have to mature and make their way to the heart before they can be spotted by anytests. This is the second stage of the disease. By then the signs of a heart worm infestation canbe detected by x-ray. The heart worms damage the blood vessels around the dog's heart andlungs and this can be picked up on an x-ray. The dog may also be short of breath and coughing.The rate at which damage takes place depends on the number of worms. But it is rare for a dogto be infected by only one worm. A heavy infestation will rapidly cause a blockage of blood flow.This is the third stage. The dog may be showing signs of weight loss. Tests may reveal liver andkidney damage. This is the third stage of the disease.As the blockage to the blood flow becomes more severe the dog may exhibit symptoms such aspain, shortness of breath, lethargy and hypertension. The dog may even faint. A heart attack ispossible.In the fourth and most serious stage the dog experiences what is known as Vena CavaSyndrome. The dog is in a state of shock and dying. The only possible intervention at thisadvanced stage is surgery to physically remove the worms. Success is by no meansguaranteed.