3 Strong Facts that will tell you the Truth about Heartworm Disease
“It only takes one bite from an infected mosquito to cause heartworm in a dog.”
Trish Bowman
Pet owners are always concerned about heartworm disease affecting their pets. Heartworms get into the bodies of the pet through infected mosquitoes. When these infected mosquitoes infests in the heart and blood vessels of the infected pet it results in serious illness. But the good thing is that this disease can be prevented. If you detect the disease early, it is possible to treat the pet quickly. There have been more than 130 positive cases of heartworm infection in Australia alone, which points out to the fact that pet owners need to be conscious about the risk of the disease.
Let us now look at some of the hidden facts that will tell you the truth about heartworm disease:
There is no need for year round protection for heartworm disease
Heartworm preventives sold in the market by pharmaceutical giants like Bayer Healthcare, Merial and Pfizer are turning out to be virtual money spinning machine for drug manufacturers. Even veterinarians find different ways to cash in on this fact and when there is loads of money attached to the treatment overall health and quality of life of the pet takes a backseat.
It has been recommended to provide year round protection for heartworm disease in the pets, but that is due to the reason that pet owners forget to re-start the treatment during the warmer weather after chilling winter. The other fact is that heartworm preventives do not actually prevent your pets from getting worms. They poison the larvae found in the mosquito at the microfilaria stage of development that leads to death of these poisonous mosquitoes. Some of the heartworm preventives that you can provide to your pets include Revolution, Heartgard Plus Chewables, Nuheart For Dogs, Interceptor Spectrum Tasty Chews, Sentinel Spectrum Tasty Chews, Valuheart Heartworm Tablets, and Dimmitrol Tablets.
Your pet is less likely to get heartworm disease than what is claimed by the marketing campaign run by big brands
It is very difficult to acquire heartworm disease and it is less lethal than the warning signals that the marketing campaigns run by big brands suggest. For heartworm disease to infect your pet, there needs to be a set sequence of events to occur like the right climate, the right temperature for the right amount of time, the right species and sex of the mosquito. This fact does not undermine the overall effect of this life-threatening disease. The real fact is that it is very difficult for your pet to acquire this disease.
Other treatments are available that can be less toxic than the ones that you have been using so far
There are less harmful treatments available that will help you to prevent heartworm disease in your pet rather than using a lifetime of a monthly year round dosage of toxic drugs.
