The weather has been getting hotter and hotter lately, and you have to watch out for mosquitoes sneaking up on you every night or you’ll be left with red, swollen marks on your body. Pets are subject to mosquito bites even though they have a lot of hair on their bodies, and the worst part is not the mosquitoes themselves hurting it, but the fact that mosquitoes can bring about even more problematic heartworm problems.

              

What’s a heartworm?

Heartworm is a parasite that can occur in dogs and cats and is more likely to occur in dogs than cats. The adult worms are up to 20 or so centimeters in size and look like white threads to the naked eye and are very elongated. They are called heartworms because they are parasitized in the pulmonary artery and right ventricle.

What symptoms does it cause?

Because they are parasitic on the heart, heartworms will affect the cardiopulmonary and circulatory functions of the hairy children as they mature, leading to a cascade of pathologies, such as heart failure, impaired liver and kidney functions, and ascites.

Most of the initial symptoms in pets are so mild that it is difficult for the owner to detect them, and by the time obvious symptoms appear, the condition is often quite serious. Generally common symptoms are listed below:

▪ Decreased exercise tolerance, becoming tired easily

Chronic cough

▪ Difficulty in breathing, breathing hard

I’ve lost my energy and my appetite.

▪ Liver and kidney failure in severe cases, leading to death

How do I know if my pet is infected with heartworm?

Pet owners are advised to bring their babies to the animal hospital for health checkups every six months to a year. Veterinarians will usually draw blood for adult antigen test and blood smear based on clinical experience, and will also refer to the dog’s and cat’s medical history, clinical symptoms, X-ray, ultrasound, etc., to determine if the pet is infected with heartworm. After being bitten by mosquitoes, because it takes 6 to 7 months for the heartworm to complete its development, it is pointless to bring the dog in for a blood test too early, and it is recommended that the test be started when the puppy is seven months old!

If your baby has not yet started prevention, it is recommended to bring to the animal hospital, let the veterinarian draw blood to check, to determine that there is no infection, and then immediately begin to every month to prevent the medicine Oh!