Heartworms in dogs can only be passed on by an infected mosquito. That is why the best prevention with this kind of disease is to make sure that your home and backyard is always clean to reduce your dog’s exposure to mosquitos. Aside from maintaining a clean and tidy place, there are also other ways on how you can prevent your dogs from getting heartworms. The best program for prevention of heartworm infection includes using preventives and performing routine heartworm testing to avoid the possibility of doing any treatment of heartworms in dogs.

The first step in preventing a heartworm in dogs is through blood testing. Your vet will perform the test with a few drops of your dog’s blood. Heartworm testing can only be performed on adult dogs because puppies do not require a heartworm test yet. This is because it will take six months after exposure for heartworms to be determined on a test. Every veterinarian will have their own recommendation on what age to start testing so it would depend on your vet’s advice. Preventive testing can be done every year to secure that your dog is free from this deadly disease.

Today, there are actually many kinds of medications that you can use to prevent heartworms in your pet dogs. This is a prescription product that you can buy from a licensed veterinarian. So always consult your vet on what is the best preventive medication that you can use for your dog. But keep in mind that whatever product you use, you will have to give it on a monthly basis. So make sure that you properly include this on your schedule. This is because if you fail to give a preventive medication to your pet on its specific schedule, you only risk him of getting infected easily.

Moreover, your dog should also be tested for heartworm if you are going to switch from one preventive product to another. In these situations, there are specific time periods at which the pet should be retested to ensure that your pet is protected.

Heartworms are classified as a kind of worm similar to roundworms. In fact, they look a bit like roundworms. Adult heartworms in the heart of an infected animal lay very tiny larvae called microfilariae, which then live in the bloodstream. These microfilariae enter a mosquito when it sucks blood from an infected animal. In two to three weeks, the microfilariae develop into larger larvae in the mosquito and migrate to the mosquito’s mouth. Therefore, the only way that heartworms can occur in dogs is when a dog is bitten by an infected mosquito. It actually takes about seven months after the dog is bitten by an infected mosquito for the larvae to mature into adult heartworms. Afterwards, they reside in the heart, lungs, and surrounding blood vessels of the bitten dog, hence, they begin reproducing. Adult worms can grow up to 14 inches in length and can live for about five to seven years in the dog’s bloodstream.

It is also important to note that it can only be passed on by mosquitoes. This is because it’s a specific parasite that only affects dogs, cats, ferrets and other mammals. In dogs, the adult worms can obstruct the various large blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs. Worms may also enter smaller vessels in the lung and obstruct those vessels, as well. In severe cases, these deadly worms can start to fill the right ventricle of the heart, causing heavy breathing in dogs and even heart failure. So in order to prevent this to happen to your dogs, here are some ways that can help you determine if your dog is suffering from heartworms:

• Coughing can be a sign of heartworms. Observe your dog if he is having frequent coughs and is experiencing heaving coughing as well. If you have already taken him to the vet several times and the cough may not seem to subside despite any basic medication, it may be best to have laboratory testing to check on heartworms.
• Easily fatigued even on very minimal physical activity can be a sign of heartworms in dogs.
• Sudden loss of appetite can be a potential sign for heartworms, so never ignore this aspect.
• Difficulty or heavy breathing can be a great sign of heartworms in dogs. This is because these worms can obstruct the smooth blood flow in your dog’s heart, causing it to have difficulty in breathing.

Once you see these signs in your dogs, take your dog to a vet to perform laboratory testing. It will also be best if a yearly blood testing is done to detect heartworms that are in early stages. Not only can you save your dog from a very deadly disease, you can also save some money in terms of medications.

[The next article is about how to prevent heartworms in dogs.]

Choosing to become a pet owner entails a lot of important responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is to secure the health and well-being of his pet. Unfortunately, some pet owners fail to perform this important aspect. Aside from regularly grooming your pet and giving him healthy food and vitamins, it is also important to consider desexing your pet. But most pet owners are hesitant to consider this because of the many myths associated with this process like their pets will become overweight. Some pet owners may even think that desexing their pet is not actually needed and it would only cost them a great amount of money. It is absolutely wrong to think this way. This is because there are welfare organizations that offer discounted desexing programs that you can avail of. Just ask around your area or check on the internet to find these welfare organizations. Besides, wanting to become a responsible owner also comes with the duty to make sure that your pet grows healthy, happy and comfortable so in order to do this, you must also have a certain budget for this.

If you have your pet desexed, you will see many benefits with it. Desexed pets are less prone to wander around outdoors and their aggressive tendencies can also be reduced. Territorial markings can also be stopped if you have your pets desexed. Moreover, the risk of tumours, cancer and diseases spread through sexual contact can be greatly reduced as well. You will be amazed on how desexing your pet can make him healthy, happy and stress free especially when he has already reached his sexual maturity.

Finally, desexing is actually a simple procedure. Dogs and cats can be desexed as early as 8 weeks, but most vets recommend desexing around 10-12 weeks of age depending on the pet animal. Consult your vet about this matter and ask when is the best time to have your pet desexed.

It is a must for all dog owners to have their pet dogs vaccinated. This is important because it can save your dog from any severe illness or infection. It can also assure you that your dog will have better stamina and healthier well-being. Booster vaccines should be given every three to four weeks until puppies are five months old while vaccinations of adult dogs should be discussed with your veterinarian during their annual medical check-up. 

Here is a complete list on the kind vaccines that your dog will need:

1. For Hepatitis – this is a contagious disease that affects the liver, the eyes and the reproductive health of your dog;

2. For Distemper – this is a contagious viral disease that affects the respiratory and nervous system of dogs which can be really fatal for your beloved buddy;

3. For Parainfluenza – this is a highly contagious viral disease that may spread quickly from one dog to another;

4. For Leptospirosis – this is a bacterial infection that causes liver and kidney damage on dogs;

5. For Rabies – this is a kind of virus that spreads through the wounds via the saliva of a rabid animal. Symptoms of rabies infection include overly vicious or timid behavior, lack of coordination, and difficulty in swallowing;

6. For Parvovirus – this contagious disease causes severe vomiting and diarrhea while suppressing the immune system. This disease can be fatal even if it is already being treated;

7. For Bordatella – a bacterial disease that can be obtained if your dog is boarded frequently.

By making sure that your dog receives all of these very important vaccines, you secure them with a longer and happier life.

For most dog owners, the importance of an annual vet visit for dogs is often overlooked. Oftentimes, dog owners would just bring their furry pals to the vet if their pet is sick or if their four-legged buddy needs an immediate remedy. But the thing is you must also keep in mind that taking your dog to the vet on an annual basis can positively affect your dog’s well being. Similar to humans, an annual check up for your dog will secure his health and well being. Some very important factors that you need to ask your vet to check on your dog are the following:

1. Weight of your dog—this is very important for you to know so that you will be aware if your dog is at his/her ideal weight in terms of his/her size and age.

2. Dental check up—similar to humans, dogs also need their teeth to be checked for any cavity buildup. This check up is most especially important if you have the habit of feeding your dogs with human food.

3. General condition of your dog—-ask your vet to check on your dog’s skin and coat for any allergy as well as any lumps that may appear on his/her buddy.

4. Ears and eyes—-an annual check up on your dog’s ears and eyes will prevent any unwanted ailment on these delicate body parts of your dog.

5. Parasite control—this check up is most especially important among puppies so that you can be sure that they are free from any worm attack.

6. Heart condition—this check up would prevent any heart ailment that can be fatal for your dogs.

7. Muscular and Skeletal exam—this check up would determine if your dog is of good physical shape and if he/she has healthy bones and muscles.

Finally, taking your pet dog to the vet on an annual basis may save you more money than you think because doing this can help you determine any possible ailment that your precious dog may have. This is also the best way to keep him/her healthy all throughout his/her lifetime. Always remember that an ounce of prevention is generally better than cure.

Spring season is a fair season, we all know that. However, apart from being a fair or a neutral season, this time of year also brings certain hazards to your beloved pets.

The spring season both has rainy days and sunny days. During the rainy days, the climate is not that chilling like the winter but the rain pours will cause some troubles on your pet if they are not well protected. As they run on your backyards these rainy spring days without the proper attires like the pet coats, they might get colds or even get sick if left wet. However, during the sunny spring season, they might wear some accessories that are not appropriate for the climate and again this might create discomforts to them.

It is also during the season of spring where most pests attack your pets. Mosquitoes and especially fleas are the main attackers of the beloved pets of yours. When they are attacked, you can be very sure that your pet will be affected and again this will bring further harms to your pet. And for sure, on your mind, this is where the veterinarians enter.

Veterinarians or the doctors to our pets are only contacted when you encounter problems with your pets. This is the big mistake of most people. This must not be the case.

If you are a person who has a pet, you must consult a vet regularly. This will be best for your pet because vets are not only here to cure the illness of your pet. These vets are here to promote the health of your pet, to prevent further illnesses from attacking your pets, treat the illness of your pet, and rehabilitate the health of your pet. Therefore, you must always bring your pet to a resident vet for a regular base check up and not only to ask him to treat your pet’s disease. With this, you will not only prevent the harms of the season attack your pet, you can also further promote the health of your beloved pet.

Vets are important to your pets. As they serve as the doctors to your pets, you must also know that your pet will need their services not only during times of trouble but for all times.

Spring time is a very fresh and brand new season of the year. However it is not always a fresh experience for some of the dog owners because this is the time for them to prepare for the max out dog allergy period. Of course, pet owners are the ones who are responsible and obliged to take good care of their respective pets, most especially in the spring time, wherein a lot of dog allergies are roaming around their places.

You can be able to determine immediately if your dearest pet is suffering from any sort of allergies, for there are some indications or signs that you will be able to notice. For instances, sneezing, coughing, vomiting, chewing, licking, biting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and hair loss. Your dog may also suffer from itchiness that will cause him to scratch extremely.  If you are not that very sure regarding the symptoms and the kind of allergy, you can freely visit a dog specialist or a veterinarian in order to distinguish the precise reaction or sensitivity and the warning signs as well.

One way in order for you to keep your dog from those allergies, is for you to keep and maintain the cleanliness of your home. It is advisable to clean your wastebasket on a regular basis and you need also to let the fresh air enter your home on a daily basis. Make sure that you vacuum regularly.

During the spring season, you need to ensure the hygiene of your pets in order for them to get rid of certain allergies which build up in your dog’s fur. It is also important for you to brush and comb your pet’s hair or fur regularly to be able to take away some sort of allergens right away. It is also advisable to provide your pet hypoallergenic bedding and pillow, and you need also to limit the use of clothes in your house in order to get rid of allergens because allergens can sometimes be collected in rugs, covers and so on. So you better make them clean frequently.