How is Heartworm Contracted?

It is very frustrating to see your pets weak, cannot eat, or simply just sick. Since communication is very dim in between owner and pets, especially for first time owners, health issues can gravitate if not detected early. That is why being familiar with your pets' movements and having even just a bit of knowledge on what to look for and expect could be a great help in maintaining a healthy lifestyle for your pet.

One factor that you crucially need to monitor is infestation. Fleas are for one thing but worms are another story. One of the feared parasitic worms that can harm your pet is the heartworm. Considered to be very dangerous for its difficulty of being detected. So how can you tell if your pets already acquired these horrible parasites? Read on to find out.


First let's get to know how does a pet gets infected. An adult heartworm releases its eggs to its host's bloodstream then a mosquito will bite the infected dog and as it sucks blood, the eggs released on the dogs bloodstreams transfers to the mosquito until it bites another pet. Then, another heartworm cycle begins. Once released to the bloodstream of a new host the larvae are then carried to the heart or pulmonary system where it will stay until it reaches adulthood. There it will thrive eating away the heart until it's function get affected. That is the problem when facing heartworm problems. Your pet will only show limited and vague symptoms like weakness and refusal to eat only when the damage is done. Unlike other worms which can easily show through stools, the heartworm can only be detected by means of blood tests.


Once detected, administration of pet medication are extremely important. Revolution is one of the pet meds that are usually administered with this kind of case. There are two separate revolution, Revolution for cats and revolution for dogs. Revolution is a topical treatment. When applied it is quickly absorbed by the skin and into the bloodstream. It kills heartworms and even intestinal worms. Not only that it can also kill fleas that are a suspect to carrying other type of worms such as tapeworms. Revolution is effective for a whole month of combating and preventing more heartworms to mature. Then after a month another dose of Revoltuion is applied for preventive measures. Also keep heartworm appointments up to date to make sure that your pet is always heartworm free.