Prevention,Causes And Symptoms Of Heart Worms In Felines.
Dirofilaria immitis is the scientific name of the heartworm both in felines and canines . Heartworm in cats is a potentially life threatening disease for your pusscat and this article points up the causes and symptoms as well as heartworm treatment and prevention in cats.
Causes
Heartworms are caused by mosquito bites and when the larvae form they progress into fully grown worms, these bloodsucking worms live in the right side of the heart and/or the arteries to the lungs. The cat heartworm generally, has a relatively short life of 2 -3 years and the pussycat's immune system produces an antigen to fight against them in their pre-larva stage.
Symptoms
Heartworms causes various serious acute conditions that include heart failure, blocked arteries, coughing, wheezing, laboured breathing, anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, loss of weight and in extreme cases, death. If your feline (or dog) has been bitten by mosquitoes then she is susceptible to a heartworm disease.
Treatment
Heartworm is a very serious illness which needs to be treated by your veterinarian as the worms are parasite that will feast on the vital areas around your cat's heart and the pulmonary arteries. Your veterinarian will be able to carry out various proceedures to determine the presence and severity of the heartworm problem.
The various tests your vet can use will include blood tests and X-rays which detect the presence of heartworm. An antigen test detects proteins in the blood 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 condition.
There is no best heartworm treatment and it is not just the live heartworms that are debilitating your cat. The dead and dying cause problems too. As the worms die after 2-3 years, they can block the arteries of the heart and lungs causing further problems. However, some vets administer steroids to reduce the inflammation of the lungs and the arteries.
Commonly, medicines administer a low dose of insecticide to kill any developing microfilariae in your cat's bloodstream. Natural herbal preventatives work in much the same way and are kinder to your cat's body. Even so, these heartworm treatment do NOT kill adult heartworms, so I recommend regular 6 monthly tests for heartworm.
Prevention
My belief is that prevention is preferable to 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 occasionally. These two natural additives will help to keep the mosquitoes away.
Plenty of fresh uncontaminated water should always be close by, particularly if you have an indoor kitty. Indoor kittycats are less likely to become contaminated 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 locality, you will need to take preventative action before the season and carry on with the treatment through to its conclusion. Citronella oil and water is a authentic mosquito repellent you can use to keep mosquito bites down to a minimum.
Preemptive medicines and treatments are being constantly investigated year after year in search of a cure. So be certain to consult your veterinarian and learn about which heartworm prevention treatment is currently the best to use. This way, you can stop your pusscat from becoming sick and possibly dying through those nasty bloodsucking parasites known as dirofilaria immitis or those horrible heartworms!.
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