 |
 |
|
| Home | Dog Care | Cat Care | Bird Care | Fish Care | Reptile Pets |
Dog Heart Worms
Japan and the Philippine Islands hold the dubious distinction of having the highest incidence of heart worm in the world. Since many species of mosquitoes transmit the disease, and since it is virtually impossible to keep mosquitoes from feeding on dogs, it is small wonder the disease is so prevalent. The female worms are fourteen inches long and the males are ten inches long, and they live in the blood in the right side of the heart. When there are fifty or more of these worms in the heart there is insufficient room for blood and the heart enlarges. The worms reproduce at a rate of one female producing ten thousand young, cleric, every twenty-four hours. These microfilm cause a lot of damage in the miles of capillaries of the body, and it is from the capillaries that the mosquito draws infected blood to transmit to an-other dog when it needs another blood meal. The test for hecatombs consists of your veterinarian drawing blood and concentrating the microfilm, or wigglers, and identifying them under the microscope. Unfortunately a certain percentage of dogs are detected else adults without any circulating wigglers. Other tests and X rays are necessary to make a diagnosis in these cases. Prevention: Concerned pet owners have blood tests done on their dogs yearly and give preventive medication, diethyl carbonation, to all the canine pets in the household or kennel. Since it takes five to six months after exposure to an infected mosquito for veterinarians to diagnose heart worms in dogs, they should be tested every spring or anytime in warm climates and given preventive medication without fail. The same drug is taken in the tropics by humans to prevent human filarial diseases. It most be given daily and comes as a powder, tablet, or liquid. Dog Heart Worm Treatment: Treatment consists of first testing the dog to be sure all its organs are functioning within normal limits and, if so, an arsenical drug is administered intravenously four times over a two-day period. Optimally the dog should be monitored twenty-four hours a day by someone who can recognize a problem if one develops. If a problem develops, the treatment is discontinued and intravenous fluids, antibiotics, steroids, and other measures as necessary are taken. The surgical procedure for removing the worms is considered by most to be less successful than the medicinal approach. It is thought the adults live for about four years and the microfilm no more than two and perhaps only one. It has been suggested that the adults stop reproducing after two or three years. When we consider that a small blood clot will kill a person, it seems incomprehensible that fifty dead adult heart worms in the bloodstream may not kill a dog. Our love for our dogs and their unquestioning loyalty and devotion touts are so much a part of our lives that we all have moments when we think with dread of the time when old age, or accident, or disease may take them from us. Age we cannot control; an accident may strike the pet of the most careful owner; but you can do something about diseases. With knowledge of prevention and cure, you can both reduce the incidence of a disease and limit the injury it does. If you know the normal behavior of your dog how it should and does act when it is in good health you will be able to judge more easily when it is suffering from one of the many maladies it may develop. To care for your pet intelligently you must know something about the most frequent ailments their specific symptoms, cause, complications, and treatment. There are two types of general classifications of diseases to which dogs are most subject: those of virus origin and those resulting from bacterial infection.
|
Dog Health Addisons Disease Dog Ask the Dog Doctor Veterinarian Babesiosis in Dog Bacteria in a Dog Mouth Canine Cushings Disease Canine Ehrlichiosis Disease Transmission in Dog Distemper Dog Dog Abscess Dog Anal Glands Dog Anatomy Kidneys Dog Anemia Dog Antibiotic Dog Aseptic Necrosis Dog Auto Immunity Dog Bandage Dog Bladder Infection Dog Bloat Dog Blood Vessels Dog Breathing Problem Dog Bronchitis Dog Cancer Dog Castration Dog Cathartic Sand Laxatives Dog Cesarean Section Dog Cleft Pallet Dog Clipping Dog Clitoris Dog Cold Symptoms Dog Collars Dog Constipation Dog Copulation Dog Cough Dog Cryptorchidism Dog Deficiency Disease Dog Devices to Prevent Self Injury Dog Diabetes Dog Diabetes Insipidus Dog Discharge Dog Diuretics Dog Ear Infections Dog Eating Stool Dog Emphysema Dog Encephalitis Dog Enlarged Prostate Dog Epilepsy Dog Esophagus Dog Fits Dog Fleas Dog Gum Disease Dog Has Anthrax Dog Head Fractures Dog Heart Dog Heart Stimulants Dog Heart Worms Dog Heat Cycle Dog Hemophilia Dog Hernias Dog Hip Dysplasia Dog Hip Problems Dog Hock Joint Fracture Dog Hook Worms Dog Hydrothorax Dog Hymen Dog Hyperparathyroidism Dog Hypoparathyroidism Dog Hypothyroidism Dog Illness Diagnosis Dog Immunizations Dog Infections of the Uterus Dog Inflammation Dog Intestinal Illness Dog Intestinal Parasites Dog Joint Health Dog Kidney Problems Dog Kidney Stones Dog Laporotomy Dog Liver Disease Dog Lupus Erythematosus Dog Male Sterility Dog Mammary Swelling Dog Monsters Dog Nose Problem Dog Pain Killers Dog Pancreatitis Dog Parasites Dog Parvoviral Gastro Enteritis Dog Pelvic Fracture Dog Pleurisy Dog Pneumonia Dog Production of Monsters Dog Progressive Retinal Atrophy Dog Protozoa Infection Dog Rabies Dog Restricted Pelvis Dog Round Worms Dog Routine Problems Dog Ruptured Cruciate Ligaments Dog Rupture of the Heart Dog Salivary Gland Dog Salivary Gland Disorders Dog Sanitation Dog Sclerosis Dog Secretory Gland Depressants Dog Sedative Dog Septicemia Dog Shedding Dog Shoulder Dislocations Dog Skin Dog Skin Problems Dog Sneezing Dog Spinal Cord Injuries Dog Steroid Dog Stomach Problems Dog Taenia Worm Dog Tape Worms Dog Taxoplasmas Dog Testicles Dog Thermometers Dog Throat Problem Dog Tranquilizer Dog Trichinae Trichinosis Dog Tumor Dog Twisted Uterus Dog Urinary Tract Infection Dog Uterus Problems Dog Vaccine Dog Verminious Pneumonia Dog Veterinary Examination Dog Viruses Dog Vomiting Dog Weight Loss Dog Whip Worms Dog With Diarrhea Dog With Perianal Fistulas Edema Dog Enlarged Female Dog Breast Enlarged Heart in Dog Fluke Dog Hemobartonella Canis Is My Dog in Pain Congestive Heart Failure Leash Breaking in Dog Lime Disease in Dog Mother Dog Health Paraphimosis in Dog Peripheral Nerve Diseases in Dog Peritonitis in Dogs Respiratory Infection Dog Treatment Tetanus in Dogs Tonsillitis in Dogs What Cause a Dog to have Intussusception
| |
There was a time when the disease called heart worm, caused year, was recognized only in a small area of the southeastern United States but it soon spread to the Ohio River Valley and more recently has been found in most, if not all, states. Part of the problem is no doubt our increased mobility, with pets accompanying us on vacations, and with dogs being taken to field trials and dog shows all over the country.