This is an important question for every dog owner out there. Should I be giving my dog heartworm medicine? Do they need it? What happens if I don’t? If you’re reading this, you’re taking the right steps in learning more about this dangerous disease, and how to prevent your dog from getting infected with it.

First off, heartworms live just about all over North America, so if you and your pet live, or visit North America, there is a chance your pet could contract heartworm disease. In the past, the disease was confined only to the southern most parts of the United States of America. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case as the disease as rapidly spread across the entire continent and even into the southern parts of Canada. Heartworm is transmitted via mosquitoes, so this parasite can travel rapidly and easily across large stretches of land. It’s even gaining a foothold in South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. So even if there isn’t a high incidence of heartworm disease in your country yet, because of the nature of technology and travel today you could be seeing the disease in your area very soon. So you might want to speak to a vet soon about getting your dog heartworm medicine, because the disease is so prevalent across the globe.

Let’s say you haven’t given your dog heartworm medicine, is he in danger of contracting the disease? Anywhere there are mosquitoes, there is the potential for this parasite to spread. If your dog gets bitten by a mosquito carrying heartworm disease, the larvae are transferred into your pet’s bloodstream where they begin to incubate. At this point, it’s difficult to tell if a dog has been infected with heartworm disease, as symptoms don’t become visible for at least 6-7 months (this is known as the “prepatent period”). Once the disease has firmly gained a foothold into your pet’s body, your doggy’s health is now in danger. That’s why it’s important to prevent the disease, rather than treat it, and giving your dog heartworm medicine is the best way to prevent this deadly disease.

If your dog is diagnosed with the disease, your vet will most likely indicate that treatment is needed. If the disease has been allowed to progress to this point, there may be heart, liver, or kidney damage and your vet will have to evaluate their health to see if there are any risks to treating the disease at this point. After your dog has been treated, the worms will be dead but still present in your pet’s heart. Your dog will need to rest for several weeks, because the worms could potentially break loose if your dog is physically active. This can be extremely dangerous, especially if the worm travels to a critical part of their body (such as the lungs).

This disease is so difficult to detect because of the 6 month long prepatent period while the worms mature. Speak to your vet about giving your dog heartworm medicine, because the risks are so great. A little bit of preventative medicine could save you thousands of dollars in vet bills treating the disease, or even worse, your pet could die.

Linda is an experienced veterinarian who recommends that every owner give their dog Heartworm Medicine.

Canine allergies – what is an allergy

Allergies are caused by allergens, which are substances of all nature found in our environment. These allergens will, for some reasons, cause our immune system to act up, as if they were toxic to the body. This reaction leads to the release of histamine, which cause the allergic symptoms.

Runny nose and itchy eyes, most people have experienced allergies in their lives, whether it is to pollen, house dust mites or cat hair. But did you know that, just like you, your dog can also suffer from allergies? As a matter of fact, dogs can even have similar allergies to humans, called canine allergies.

Symptoms of canine allergies

Canine allergies will mostly make your dog is scratching like crazy, leading to open sores. If the allergy stays and the dog keeps scratching, those open sores can become infected, causing bad odors and lots of pain. Allergy symptoms also include vomiting, diarrhea and ear infections. While some breeds are more prone to developing allergies, all dogs are susceptible and it is important to look out for allergy symptoms before they develop into infections.

There are several allergens that can cause canine allergies, which include fleas, pollen, dust mites and even dog food.

CANINE ALLERGIES TO FLEAS

One of the most common cause of canine allergies is flea allergy dermatitis, where the dog becomes allergic to the saliva of the flea. When the dog has flea allergies, it takes as little as one flea bite to send to the dog to a sudden burst of itchiness, and the dog starts frantically scratching and chewing its skin. This scratching and chewing can lead to open sores and more severe skin infections.

If you suspect your dog of having flea allergy, take some steps to determine and make sure that it is canine allergies to fleas. Look for fleas, severe itching symptoms, biting or chewing around the tail, the legs and the rump and oozing skin sores caused by scratching, biting and chewing.

Of course, preventive care is the best way to prevent canine allergies to fleas. But if your dog has fleas, you will need to treat your dog for fleas, using either flea collars, pills, vaccines, shampoos, sprays and a wide range of other products your vet can tell you about. Remember that the war to fleas also extends to the dog’s environment, including where your dog sleeps, any cracks in floors, the car seats, etc.

Then if the scratching and biting have caused open lesions, you will need to treat the secondary skin infections, using products such as antibiotics or antifungals as determined by the gravity of the open sores and infections.

Then, you need to stop the itching. You can use topical steroidal creams to help reduce or stop the itching, and give time to the skin to heal.

DOG FOOD ALLERGIES

Unlike canine allergies to fleas, dog allergies to food is not as common and can start at any age. Canine allergies to food are more difficult to ascertain and it is believed that food allergies can happen with a brand or type of food the dog has been fed for a long time. Beef, chicken, eggs, fish and milk are the most common causes of food allergy in dogs.

If you suspect your dog of having food allergies, look out for symptoms such as foul skin odors, lots of scratching around the face, ears infections, open lesions caused by severe scratching, biting the chewing, and, sometimes, onsets of diarrhea or vomiting.

To treat canine allergies to food, give your dog special diets low in allergens, or diets free of the ingredients your dog is intolerant to. Similarly to other allergies, you will need to treat your dog for skin infections as needed, using antibiotics or antifungals.

While some brands have specialized hypoallergenic food for dogs having canine allergies, with ingredients such as lamb, rice, fish, potatoes or venison, many veterinarians simply recommend to home cooked food diets. Finding a diet or a new type of brand your dog will not be allergic to can be difficult. It often consists of tries and errors, by giving the dog new food until all the symptoms disappear, which mean you found the perfect diet. Unfortunately, nothing can assure you that, after another few years, the dog will not develop another allergy to the new diet.

ATOPY ALLERGIES

Atopy allergies are also known as canine allergies to inhalants, which are substances found in the air and that the dog inhale everyday. These irritants can be seasonal, such as pollen or ragweed, or all year-round, such as house dust mites. Unlike humans, dogs allergy atopic symptoms manifest through itchy skin, frantic scratching, chewing and biting, which can quickly lead to oozing skin infections.

There are no cure to canine allergies to inhalants, but, fortunately, there are several products available to help relieve some the allergy symptoms. Antihistamines are good to treat atopy symptoms, but the best solution remains avoiding the allergens (vacuum the house more often, get rid of the carpets, shorten the walks when it is pollen season). Bathing your dog with shampoo containing aloe vera is a healthy option an a good option to help reduce the itchiness until the allergy discomfort diminishes. If you wish to learn more about treatments, read our post Dog Flea Treatment.

For more information, visit Heartworm Medicine and learn more about dog diseases, canine allergies and their treatments.