Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm Treatment and Prevention at Preston Animal Clinic

While there’s no such thing as a good parasitic infestation in a pet, heartworm surely counts as one of the most frightening of them all. These spaghetti-like worms can invade your pet’s cardiopulmonary system, eventually (or sometimes even suddenly) producing fatal results. If you want to your pet to enjoy the longest and healthiest life possible, you need to protect him against this damaging condition. Preston Animal Clinic can help by providing the necessary heartworm treatment and prevention.

A Serious Danger to Your Dog or Cat

The typical image of heartworm depicts a mass of long, thin worms — but that’s not the form in which these intruders enter your pet’s body. They start as tiny immature creatures call microfilaria, which are transmitted to pets via mosquitos that have bitten infested animals. The microfilarie grow to maturity in the heart and lungs, interfering with the normal function of these organs.

A dog may host huge numbers of heartworms, experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, lack of stamina, coughing, and loss of appetite, sometimes for several years, until death finally occurs. A cat will typically host only a few immature heartworms, but even these small-scale infestations can cause respiratory disease. Even worse, cats are highly sensitive to the inflammatory substances produced by dead heartworms, with reactions that include seizures or sudden death.

Expert Care From Our Veterinarians in Cambridge, ON

A dog infested with heartworm needs immediate treatment. Our veterinarians in Cambridge, ON will administer preliminary rounds of steroid, antibiotics, and preventative medications to kill off baby heartworms before administering the actual treatment to kill the adult worms, a process which may take over two months. Sadly, there is no safe cat heartworm treatment, since, killing the worms may trigger a fatal inflammatory reaction.

Preventative care is by far the easiest and most reliable anti-heartworm strategy. We can prescribe oral or topical drugs that you give your pet once a month, without fail. These drugs kill any worms while they’re still in their larval stage, before they can do harm. Better yet, some heartworm medications can also protect your pet against other types of worms and even fleas. We will test your pet for any signs of adult heartworms before we start administering these preventatives, to prevent potential adverse reactions.