Heartworm Disease

Heartworm and Pet Care from Our Veterinarian

If your pet has heartworm. Let our veterinarian at Brazos Bend Animal Hospital in Richmond, TX, help.

Heartworm is a condition that leads to organ damage and death in pets. It can attack cats, dogs, and ferrets. Keep reading to learn more about signs, causes, and treatment for heartworm. Our vet can provide pet care services, including pet surgery. 

heartworm disease

Signs of Heartworm Disease

Common signs of heartworm disease include persistent cough. Your pet may also experience fatigue and lethargy, which end up affecting his well-being. Other observable signs include difficulty breathing due to the affected lungs.

Reduced appetite and gradual weight might loss also occur as the disease progresses As the illness develops further, your pet might also have issues with swollen abdomen.

Causes of Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is transmitted by a parasitic worm known commonly found in mosquitoes. The transmission occurs when an infected mosquito injects microscopic heartworm larvae into the bloodstream of a cat or dog. The larvae migrate to the heart, growing into adult worms and causing damage to organs like the lungs and heart.

Methods of Prevention and Treatment for Heartworm

Preventive measures like administering periodic heartworm preventives and regular visits to the vet or animal hospital can be effective in stopping the development of heartworm disease. The preventative medications can help kill the immature larvae before they mature.

If it is too late for these preventive measures, a veterinarian might develop a treatment plan tailored to their specific condition. A series of injections of medications may used to kill adult heartworms. During treatment, it might be important to limit any physical activities.

It is a good idea to prevent heartworm from occurring in the first place. Once the disease takes hold in a dog, treatment is long, costly, and painful for the dog. In cats, the disease is impossible to treat as treatment will end up killing the cat. This means that the cat will almost certainly die from the heartworm. This is what makes heartworm prevention so important.

Get Pet Care from Our Veterinarian at Our Animal Hospital in Richmond, TX

Do not let heartworm affect your pet’s health. Take the first initiative towards protecting your pet’s wellbeing by scheduling an appointment with our veterinarian. We are on standby to help with your pet’s health issues. For more guidance, visit us at Brazos Bend Animal Hospital in Richmond, TX, or contact us to help ensure a heartworm-free future for your beloved pets. Call us at ((281) 342-1117 for more information about pet surgery from a vet on our veterinary team.

Office Hours

Monday  

7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Tuesday  

7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Wednesday  

7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Tech Appointments Only from 1pm-6pm

Thursday  

7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Friday  

7:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday  

8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Sunday  

Closed

Location

Find us on the map