Heartworm Medicine Do's and Don'ts - Part One
Heartworm Medicine is vital to the health and well-being of dogs and cats in many areas. But, it is important that you use whichever type of heartworm med as intended. To ensure your pets are completely protected from possible disease you have to know a little about the products, how they work and how you ensure they keep working.
There really is nothing to worry about. All the available heartworm medications are strictly monitored and regulated. And, they are all simple to administer BUT you must take responsibility for administering them properly otherwise you may be wasting your time and money while putting your pet's health at risk.
Heartworm Medicine - Rule #1 - Get Tested
The first rule of using ANY heartworm med is to ensure your dog or cat is not already suffering from heartworm disease.
The natural course of a heartworm infection is that the disease does not actually start till six or seven months after infection anyway. And, many pets show no symptoms until the disease is in its later stages. Both these factors mean it is not uncommon for pet owners to have no idea there is any problem at all. There is no way for you to determine if your dog or cat is infected. Only a vet will be able to tell.
The reason it is important for both dogs and cats to be tested for infection BEFORE starting any preventative heartworm medicine is due to the way the meds work. Rather than stopping infection, heartworm meds destroy any larval stage worms which have infected your pet during the last 30 days. This means, that the active ingredients are able to kill juvenile heartworms. The volume of larvae which could infect your pet in 30 days is small so there is no risk to animal health processing these dead parasites.
However, an animal with advanced stages of the actual disease may have many adult and juvenile worms in their system. If such an animal is given heartworm medicine they may have trouble processing the volume of dead parasites and the proteins they release. In extreme cases toxic shock could occur. Animals already suffering from the disease must be monitored by a vet during treatment to check they are able to absorb the parasites safely.