The Cat Website - All About Our Cat Friends

Heartworm Treatment for cats and dogs

 The treatment for heartworms is different for cats and dogs. Do not ever give medicine intended for a cat to your dog or vice versa.

Once your pet has heartworms the treatment is not easy. You want to rid your pet of heartworms but many factors need to be looked at before proceeding. Your veterinarian will have to do many tests to determine how many worms your pet has, how it is affecting your pet and if your pet can handle the side effects of the medication.

Let’s first look at the treatment of heartworms for dogs. The first thing that will have to be done is an evaluation of your dog and what treatment is necessary to stabilize them for treatment for heartworms and then the elimination of all the heartworms and larvae.

The adult heartworms will be killed first, then comes the larvae and the microfilaria. Both have to kill with different treatments. There are side effects that can happen that are very dangerous to your dog while ridding them of the adult heartworm. As the adult heartworms die they can become lodged in the arteries. The arteries are already inflamed by the presence of these worms but as the worms decompose the arteries can become more inflamed and your dog will need to be watched carefully for things like this that may occur during treatment. Sometimes, according to how infested your dog is with heartworms, he may need to stay at the hospital for proper care. Talking with your veterinarian will ease your mind and let you know the best options for your dog.

The treatment for heartworms in cats may be no treatment. Cats are very hard to treat for heartworms. The side effects of the dying worms cause at least one third of the cats treated life threatening problems. Cats can not also take some of the medications available for eliminating heartworms. Your veterinarian will have to do many tests to determine if your cat should undergo treatment.

As with all disease prevention is better than the treatment. Before your pet can get heartworm disease talk with your veterinarian and find medications that can prevent heartworms in your pet from ever happening.

About the Author

Niall Kennedy
http://www.pet-medication-supplies.net
Pet Medication Supplies can help you get the best possible protection for your pet. Advantix, Arthramine, Cosequin, Frontline, Heartgard - find the best deals in pet medication for flea and tick control, arthritis and lyme disease. Upto 50% discount everyday on brand names.

 Niall Kennedy

More Articles 

How To Do Cat Litter Box Retraining - Nancy E Wigal
Cats stop using the cat litter box for a number of reasons. Once you discover the reason why and correct it, you may need to re-train your cat to use her box again. Despite what you think, you can train a cat! For most cats, it's not hard....

Corticosteroid Medications - Linda Mar Veterinary Hospital
Corticosteroid medications are similar to cortisone and other hormones produced by the adrenal glands. Most treatments last 2 - 4 weeks. The amount of medication is gradually reduced, ending with a "maintenance dose" given every other day....

Training Your Cat for a New Family Member - Tony Robinson
Has you cat had the run of the house for years and now someone is moving to the house to stay, don't let the cat be the first one leaving. Rather it is a baby coming, family member moving in or an extended stay by a visitor, you will want...

Living In Harmony Or At War? Having More Than One Cat In The House - Niall Kennedy
I have two cats and I can't imagine that either of them would want to live without the other. They live like brother and sister. And I can't imagine me living with just one cat either. For those that love cats, having just one is never...

Wisconsin Cat Hunt - Steve Sommers
A friend of mine in Minnesota asked me recently about the feral cat hunting proposal in Wisconsin and whether feral cats were such a problem here that we needed a special law about it. Feral cats are not 'wild cats', per se, but rather house cats...

Dogs, Cats, And Horses... We Love Them All! - Willie Jones
We have a long history with domesticated animals and even the nay Sayers can't deny their roll in society past and present. There is evidence that as long as 10,000 years ago the Native Americans had domesticated dogs as depicted in early rock...

Train Your Cat to be Groomed - Tony Robinson
Grooming for a cat should be done on a daily basis for proper care of your cat. In addition, with the proper care, your cat will stay healthy. Brushing, combing, clipping nails, and cleaning ears, are grooming that needs to be done. By doing...

Should Outside Cats Use A Collar - John Marcus
Most cat owners find themselves in a quandary over whether or not to use a cat collar on their outdoor cats. The debate still reigns over the pros and cons of outfitting an outside cat with a collar, but many veterinarians and cat experts agree...

What’s The Best Diet For A Pregnant Cat? - Marc de Jong
Pregnant cats have to eat for two, three, four, five, even six cats. So her regular meal is just not enough. What should you give instead? Pregnant and lactating queens need more calories than normal. However, you won’t have to force her to eat....

Litter Box Strategies for Disabled Cats - Nancy E Wigal
. You may reprint this article, electronically in free-only publications in it's entirety in an Ezine, blog or web site. . You may not use this article for commercial purposes without our written consent. . You may not use this article in...