Dirofilaria immitis is the scientific name of the heartworm both in felines and canines . Heartworm in cats is a potentially serious illness for your feline and this article points up the causes and symptoms as well as heartworm treatment and prevention in cats.

Causes

Heartworms are introduced by mosquito bites and when the larvae grow they hatch into fully fledged worms, these parasites live in the right side of the heart and/or the pulmonary arteries. The cat heartworm comparatively, has a relatively short life of 2 -3 years and the pussycat's immune system produces an antigen to fight against them in their pre-larva stage.

Symptoms

Heartworms lead to various ugly acute conditions that include heart failure, blocked arteries, coughing, wheezing, breathing difficulties, anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, weight loss and in extreme cases, death. If your pussy (or dog) has been bitten by mosquitoes then she is liable to a heartworm illness.


Treatment

Heartworm is a very serious disease which needs to be treated by your veterinarian as the worms are parasite that will feast on the vital areas around your cat's heart and the arteries to the lungs. Your vet will be able to carry out various proceedures to determine the presence and severity of the heartworm problem.

The various proceedures your veterinarian can carry out will include blood tests and X-rays which detect the presence of heartworm. An antigen test detects proteins in the bloodstream from the breakdown of the worm. Ultrasound tests produce an image of the heart and the arteries feeding the lungs and are another aid in tackling the condition.

There is no best heartworm treatment and it is not just the live heartworms that are damaging your cat. The dead and dying cause complications too. As the worms die after 2-3 years, they can constrict the arteries of the heart and lungs causing further problems. However, some veterinarians prescribe steroids to reduce the inflammation of the lungs and the arteries feeding the lungs.

Commonly, medicines use a low dose of insecticide to kill any developing microfilariae in your cat's bloodstream. Natural herbal preventatives work in a similar fashion and are kinder to your cat's system. Even so, these heartworm treatment do NOT kill adult heartworms, so I encourage regular 6 monthly checks for heartworm.

Prevention

My belief is that prevention is better than cure and as there is no cure for heartworm in cats it is imperative to take the appropriate precautions. The normal guidelines of keeping your cat healthy apply and include a natural, well balanced diet of fresh raw foods with garlic and yeast mixed in occasionally. These two natural additives will serve to keep the mosquitoes away.

Plenty of extra good water should always be at hand, particularly if you have an indoor pussy. Indoor pusscats are less likely to become infected than those living outdoors but heartworm prevention is far better practiced for all cats just to be on the safe side.

If you live in a mosquito-ridden locality, you will want to take precautionary action before the season and carry on with the treatment through to its end. Citronella oil and water is a common insect repellent you can use to keep mosquito bites down to a minimum.

Preemptive medicines and treatments are being constantly cultivated year after year looking for a remedy. So by all means to call your vet and find out about which heartworm prevention treatment is currently the best to use. This way, you can prevent your kittycat from becoming sick and possibly dying through those vile bloodsucking parasites known as dirofilaria immitis or those horrible heartworms!.

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