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Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Of Heartworm In Felines.
Dirofilaria immitis is the scientific name of the heartworm both in felines and canines . Heartworm in cats is a potentially bad disease for your pusscat and this article points out the causes and symptoms as well as heartworm treatment and prevention in cats.
Causes
Heartworms are caused by mosquito bites and when the larvae grow they unfurl into fully fledged worms, these parasites live in the right side of the heart and/or the pulmonary arteries. The cat heartworm comparatively, has a relatively short life of 2 -3 years and the cat's immune system produces an antigen to fight against them in their pre-larva stage.
Symptoms
Heartworms causes various life threatening acute conditions that include heart failure, blocked arteries, coughing, wheezing, breathing difficulties, anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, weight loss and in extreme cases, death. If your pussy (or dog) has been bitten by mosquitoes then she is liable to a heartworm disease.
Treatment
Heartworm is a very serious illness which needs to be treated by your vet as the worms are parasite that will feast on the vital areas around your cat's heart and the pulmonary arteries. Your vet will be able to carry out various proceedures to determine the presence and severity of the heartworm problem.
The various proceedures your veterinarian can carry out will include blood tests and X-rays which detect the presence of heartworm. An antigen test detects proteins in the bloodstream from the breakdown of the worm. Ultrasound tests produce an image of the heart and the arteries feeding the lungs and are another aid in tackling the problem.
There is no best heartworm treatment and it is not just the live heartworms that are damaging your cat. The dead and dying cause problems too. As the worms die after 2-3 years, they can stifle the arteries of the heart and lungs causing further problems. However, some veterinarians prescribe steroids to reduce the inflammation of the lungs and the arteries feeding the lungs.
Commonly, medicines employ a low dose of insecticide to kill any developing microfilariae in your cat's blood. Natural herbal preventatives work in much the same way and are kinder to your cat's internal organs. Even so, these heartworm treatment do NOT kill adult heartworms, so I encourage regular 6 monthly checks for heartworm.
Prevention
My belief is that prevention is better than cure and as there is no cure for heartworm in cats it is imperative to take the appropriate precautions. The normal guidelines of keeping your cat healthy apply and include a natural, well balanced diet of fresh raw foods with garlic and yeast mixed in from time to time. These two ingredients will help to keep the mosquitoes away.
Plenty of plenty of uncontaminated water should always be obtainable, particularly if you have an indoor pussy. Indoor pusscats are less likely to become diseased than those living outdoors but heartworm prevention is far better practiced for all cats just to be on the safe side.
If you live in a mosquito-ridden country, you will need to take precautionary action before the season and go on with the treatment through to its end. Citronella oil and water is a common insect repellent you can use to keep mosquito bites down to a minimum.
Preemptive medicines and treatments are being continuously cultivated year after year in search of a remedy. So be certain to visit your vet and find out about which heartworm prevention treatment is currently the best to use. This way, you can avoid your pusscat from becoming sick and even dying through those awful bloodsucking parasites known as dirofilaria immitis or those horrible heartworms!.
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