Our North Richland Hills Veterinarian Team Can Protect Your Pets from Heartworm Disease
Our North Richland Hills Veterinarian Team Can Protect Your Pets from Heartworm Disease The team at Cornerstone Animal Hospital believes every animal deserves a fighting chance against parasites. In addition to flea and tick prevention, we also provide medication against heartworms. These parasites can cause serious, life-threatening health consequences for your cat or dog, so protecting your animal is essential.
Understanding Heartworms With Our North Richland Hills Veterinary Team
Heartworms are parasitic worms which can live inside blood vessels of a host animal (including dogs and less commonly cats) for years. They enter animals’ bodies via mosquitos, which carry these parasites in their larvae stage. Heartworms then grow and reproduce in the vessels supplying blood to the heart, lungs, and other organs.
As heartworms grow (up to 12 inches or longer!), they block blood supply to major organs. If left undetected and untreated, heartworms can cause organ failure, coma, and death.
How can you tell if your pet has heartworms? Lookout for hallmark signs and symptoms:
- A persistent and mild cough
- Reluctance to exercis e/easy to fatigue
- Decreased appetite
- Weight loss
- Distended abdomen (fluid retention due to heart failure)
- Seizure and collapse
How to Protect Your Pets from Heartworm All Year Round
The best way to protect your pet against heartworms is to give him or her preventive medication once per month, every month, for life—even in winter when mosquitos aren’t prevalent. This medication, as well as general home and yard maintenance, can drastically reduce your pet’s risk of a heartworm infestation.
Our vet staff is happy to prescribe the correct heartworm medication dose (based things like breed and size) and provide testing and heartworm treatment (including medications and surgical removal) as necessary.
Is Your Pet Adequately Safe from Heartworm? Contact Cornerstone Animal Hospital Today
At our veterinary clinic in North Richland Hills TX – also serving Keller, Colleyville, and Southlake – our vet is happy to help you stay up to date on all your pet’s parasite prevention needs. Contact us today at (817) 514-8387 to schedule an appointment!
