Heartworm infection is a very deadly disease for dogs. Although there are a lot of effective preventive medications that are available and easy to use, there are still lots of dogs who can be infected of this fatal disease. If your dog is already suffering from this disease, it is important for you to understand that in order to treat heartworms in dogs, the degree of infection must first be determined. In general, there are three classifications of heartworm disease in dogs; below is the description for each:
- Class one – mild heartworm disease symptoms;
- Class two – moderate heartworm disease symptoms;
- Class three – severe heartworm disease symptoms.
Classes of heartworm disease are determined based on clinical signs and results from basic blood testing and chest radiographs. Once the severity of the heartworm is determined, the treatment for the disease must be done immediately. The only way to treat this kind of disease is to use an arsenic compound that will be injected into the lumbar muscle of the infected dog. Your vet will be the one to schedule the series of injections that your dogs must undergo. Again, this would depend on the degree of heartworm infection that your dog is suffering from. Probably, the worst part in treating a dog that has heartworm infection is the fact that it entails a lot of risks for your dog. Apart from these risks, you also need to make sure that you have the right budget to go with the treatment. Since treatment for heartworm in dogs involves injecting a medication into the body of an infected dog, there is a possibility for toxicity.
One of the major complicating factors with treating heartworm disease in dogs is that as the adult heartworms in the heart of the infected dog begin to die off, as a result, they can cause a barrier or clot to the lungs, thus, leading to damage within the lung tissue. This complication can be quite serious and can be very fatal. Severely restricted exercise is the primary technique used to combat this complication. It means that your dog must be put in a cage for many weeks in order for the infected dog to fully recover during the whole process of the treatment.
As a final note, prevention is always better than treatment so make sure that your dog is always healthy by ensuring that he is always protected from any dreadful disease.
