When you own a dog, you have to be cautious about the ailments and the problems that a dog may face in its long life. Some ailments are not serious but some are rather severe. One such problem is heartworm which causes various difficulties for the dog.
This process of prevention should be followed for the whole year as that will ensure the dog to be safe and healthy all the time.
Contents
5 Best Heartworm Prevention And Treatment For Dogs
Now we can suggest a few medicines that work like magic on the heartworm infected dogs, and also prevents them from these worms.
1. Sentry pet care 7 Way De-Wormer for medium and large dogs
This dewormer medicine can be applied to small dogs as well as medium and large dogs. It is used on 2 counts on the dogs. This medicine is able to kill the germs of various worms like tapeworms, hookworms, and ringworms. This is a chewable medicine and this will be easily induced by giving it through their diet or treatment. This medicine works great for the affected dogs as well as healthy dogs as the prevention.
The expiration date of this product is mentioned on the box of the product and you should abide by that. This is an efficient preventive medicine but some dogs may suffer from vomiting after consuming this tablet. If it happens so with your pet dog, get it checked by the vet as sometimes some medicines may have an allergenic effect on some dogs.
Pros:
- Effective
- Easily available
- Trusted by vets
Cons:
- Cause vomiting in some dogs
2. Durvet triple medium and large dog wormer
This medicine is available in a pack with 12 tablets. That is how it is pretty convenient for the dog owners as they know that a pack will last for a year. This medicine can cure the dog of seven different types of worms like hookworms, roundworms, heartworms, and various other types. There are certain specifications regarding the number of tablets you should give to your dog. The small and medium one would have 2 tablets and then as the size increases you should give them 3 or 4 tablets based upon the body weight.
The medicine comes with the precautionary message on the package that says that the dog can suffer from ingestion after consuming this tablet and then you should contact the veterinarian for a check-up on the dog. This medicine works as a preventive measure for your dog and if you keep giving it this medicine then it will not get affected by worms of any kind.
Pros:
- Best effective medicine
- Kills worms and tapes
- No side effects
Cons:
- Need to repeat in two weeks to get a complete cure
3. PetArmor 7-way de-wormer Pyrantel Pamoate and Praziquantel for dogs
This medicine is a chewable one and it includes flavor which makes it easy for dog owners to feed it to their pet dogs. These tablets are for medium and small-sized dogs. The manufacturer claims that this medicine is of vet quality which means, this one is prescribed by the vets for the deworming of the dogs. This medicine is able to cure and prevent 2 types of roundworms, 2 types of tapeworms, and 3 types of hookworms, which means it will be able to cure most of the worms that can affect the dogs.
There are instructions on the labels which should be followed to get the best result out of the medicine. The full dose of the dewormer should be consumed by the dog to get the full effect.
Pros:
- Vet recommended
- Safe for dogs
- No side effects
Cons:
- Dogs may face ingestion problems while gulping down
4. SafeGuard fenbendazole canine dewormer for dog
This medicine is available in a pouch and can be used on the puppies safely for the deworming purpose. One pouch can be given at one time when the dog is small or of medium size. When the dog is of a bigger breed you have to provide 2 to 3 pouches of the medicine. This medicine should be repeated after 2 weeks to get the full result. The directions on the pouch should be followed to keep the process safe for the dog. There is also the expiration date mentioned so keep that in mind and give the medicine before that period.
The users are pretty happy with this medicine and they say that if you keep using this medicine then the dog will be safe from any kind of worms. This one is even able to cure the dogs that are suffering from long-term ailments due to worms.
Pros:
- Safe for puppies
- Very effective
Cons:
- No flavor added
5. Bayer chewable quad dewormer
This medicine is for small dogs as mentioned by the manufacturers. One packet contains 4 chewable tablets. This one comes with the beef flavor which makes it easy for the owners to give to their pet dogs. This medicine is able to cure tapeworms, roundworms, or hookworms successfully. Whipworms are also treated by this medicine. This medicine can be given to young puppies who are even of 4 weeks age.
When keeping this medicine at home, make sure that the kids do not reach this medicine as it is unsafe for human consumption. The owners can try this medicine on their dogs when the poop is coming out smelly or bloated. This medicine is highly recommended for giving to dogs of adult age too. For the ones who love to adopt foster animals, this medicine can be given to make sure that the dog is free from all kinds of worms like hookworms or heartworms.
Pros:
- Keeps the dog safe from different worms
- Can be given to puppies
Cons:
- Not always available online
How harmful is heartworm for dogs?
Heartworm should be treated as a potential danger to the life of your dear pet dog. The scientific name of this germ is Dirofilaria immitis. These are worms that live parasitic life on the body of their hosts. This worm grows under the skin and can move through the blood vessels. It goes to the lungs and hearts and stays there, thus it has been named heartworm.
Can heartworms in dogs be cured?
There are chances that your dog is suffering from severe discomfort due to the heartworm but yes, this disease can be cured with the help of timely diagnosis by the veterinarian and proper medication. There are advanced heartworm diseases that can be cured and adult heartworms can be killed. There are quite a few injections that kill this worm in the heart and the vessels where these worms are present and breeding.
When the adult worms are killed, the chance of their breeding lessens, and then it stops existing.
How your dog can be infected with heartworm?
From any animal that has a heartworm, this worm can be transferred to your healthy dog. Also, a mosquito bite is another reason for getting infected with this disease. If you doubt that your dog is suffering from any kind of ailment like lethargy and cough, get it checked to know what condition is it in, and if it already has been infected with heartworm.
What are the first signs of heartworm in your dog?
The symptoms that you can find in your dog are mild cough, swollen belly, difficulty in breathing, and weight loss. When the dog suffers from a continuous cough then it can be something more serious than the usual cold. Dry cough is more accurately caused by heartworm.
See if your dog acts energetically or not. When the heartworm affects the dogs, they feel sloth and do not like to move around in the house or outside in a cheerful mood, like the normal times.
If you see that your dog is not feeling energetic then check if there are other symptoms too.
Does your dog need heartworm pills?
You can prevent your dog from getting affected by heartworm by giving it pills beforehand. There are preventive pills that can be given to the dog once a month and it controls the breeding of many other internal and external worms. It is a pretty common disease among dogs so you should be cautious about the growth of the worms and keep giving medicine to the dog throughout the year, but taking suggestions from the vet is mandatory.
Which heartworm medicine is safest for dogs?
There are many preventive medicines that prevent heartworms or various other kinds of worms among dogs. But some can have side effects, so before giving any medicine to the dog you must be aware of the safety of that medicine. Asking the vet for advice is the best way to decide the medicine for your dog.
Do you need prescriptions for giving heartworm preventive medicines to your dog?
All places have a different set of rules meant for the safety of their pets. In the US you cannot give your dog over-the-counter medicines and need the vet’s prescription to buy the preventive medicine or any other medicine for the dog. So when you are in the US you need a prescription as guidance to buy the heartworm preventive medicine from the chemist.
Can you give dewormer and heartworm preventive medicine at the same time?
This is a question that haunts many pet owners as there can be various side effects to the two different medicines. But yes you can give dewormers and heartworm preventive medicine at the same time, without fearing the side effects.
When should you start the preventive measures for heartworm?
The heartworm preventive measures should start from an early age. As per the American Heartworm Society, the medication should start as early as 8 weeks of age. You have to check the label of the product though, to see the mentioned age at when the medicine should be given.
What can happen if the heartworm preventive medicines are not given to the dog?
Missing a month out of the whole 12 months in a year is not that much a cause of worry for the dog owners. This is a common problem for dog owners as they keep forgetting to give the dewormer medicine once a month.
So if you also miss giving the medicine for a month then also the dog will be protected from the worms. But the next month you must not forget to give the medicine at the right time and in the right dose.
How can you check the heartworm disease even when there is no medicine available?
If the treatment of heartworm is not available or not affordable for the owners even after the dog is diagnosed with this ailment, then delaying melarsomine therapy can come in handy in solving this problem. Giving the preventive measure and inducing doxycycline is needed to keep the disease in check. The infection can be checked and further breeding of heartworm will be stopped.
What can be the treatment of heartworm disease?
There are quite a few medicines that are used to cure the dog of heartworm disease. Melarsomine Dihydrochloride is one such medicine that can cure the dog of heartworm disease. This medicine is available in the name of Diroban and Immiticide and these drugs contain arsenic in them. These are available in the form of injections and are given to the back muscles of the dog. These medicines are able to kill the microfilariae in the blood vessels of the infected dog.
You can apply the topical lotion called Advantage Multi on the dog’s skin. These medicines are not always free from side effects but these effects can be different for different dogs. Some dogs suffer from severe blood clots on the lungs or some other lethal health complications.
Why prevention is better than treatment for heartworm?
There are thousands of products from the FDA that ensure that heartworm will be prevented among dogs. You have to decide which medication will be ideal for you before giving it as some of them are used monthly and some at a longer gap. Some are in form of injections and some are used as topical lotions. These medicines not only prevent the dog from internal worms but also different kinds of parasites like fleas and ticks.
More:
5 Best American Foxhound Treats
