Prevent Heartworms in Dogs by Understanding Their Life Cycle

Dogs are the most loving creatures, yet they are more susceptible to getting a heartworm infection as compared to other pets. Heartworms are parasites that reside inside the dog’s body and infect the heart, lungs and vessels of his body.

In Australia, every year the vets face a number of heartworm cases and the effects of them are adverse. Although heartworms can be prevented, it has to be done at an initial stage. If the canine already has an infection than the preventatives won’t work. To understand when the right time to prevent heartworms is, you must be aware of the entire life cycle of heartworms.

The following steps will depict the life stages of heartworms:

• The lifecycle embarks by a female mosquito sucking the blood from an infected host and ingesting the immature larvae or microfilaria of heartworms.
• The microfilariae then become active in the mosquito’s mouth in approximately 2 weeks and grow into larvae. When the mosquito feeds on a host such as dog, it infects the dog with the heartworm larvae.
• The larvae after entering into the body travel through the blood and ends up residing in the blood vessels.
• Then they slowly develop into adult heartworm, which takes several months.
• The adult heartworms are capable of living inside the host’s body for years till they infect the entire lungs, hearts and vessels.
• Adult heartworms also start producing microfilaria that is released into the bloodstream.

Therefore, you must provide the pooch with preventives before the larvae develop itself into an adult heartworm. Heartworm preventative treatments are quite effective in ensuring no infection until it is administered regularly and annual treatments are done. Treatments like Advocate for Dog, Revolution, Milbemax Dog, Nexgard Spectra, Heartgard Plus Dog are the top-sellers and trusted brands and they ensure complete protection of your pooch from acquiring heartworm infection.

The treatment of Heartworms is a stressful approach. Treating heartworm not only demands more monetary sources but also is very risky. The safe side and cost-effective option is to provide preventative measures. The treatment includes the dogs to be injected with various medications, keep him under diagnosis at the hospital, several months of administration of killing the heartworms, and all this depends upon the severity of the life stage of heartworms. No one wants their furry pal to end up suffering from such immense pain that too for months.

To avoid treatments and your savings since forever, go for an annual checkup always. Heartworm annual medication and treatments are widely available in the market and the online stores. Purchasing these petsupplies at an affordable price is more beneficial than spending a fortune on the treatment.