Heartworm Symptoms in dogs
There are certain important symptoms to identify heartworm disease among dogs. It is heart breaking when you see a loving member of our family suffer from cold or any other ailment, and we try our best to treat the sickness and bring them back to normal as soon as possible. Similar a young baby who cannot tell us what is making them unwell; our pet dogs can also not tell us when they are sick.
A lot of ailments are common among dogs, but the most complicated and harmful is the heartworm disease which is easy to occur in every dog and very difficult to determine and treat. Heartworm disease is caused by the bite of a mosquito containing heartworm, which enters the blood and infects the dog. Early observation of symptoms leading to heartworm disease can reduce the chances of risk and treatment for the dog. There are many common symptoms that may seem like a common cold or indigestion, but might be important factors leading to heartworm disease. It is important to gain knowledge on the most vital signs to indicate that your dog might be suffering from heartworm disease.
Heartworm symptoms of to be aware of!
Reducing weight day by day
There are many situations in which a dog might eat less and lose weight such as indigestion, climatic conditions, common cold and so on. But the first and most important sign that leads to heartworm disease is weight loss due to loss of appetite. One of the most important factors that determine the indication of heartworm disease because of weight loss is the appearance of your dog. The weight reduction in the dog will be very obvious with prominent ribs and a bulging chest. Your dog will also have trouble breathing while sleeping or even while doing their daily activities such as playing, walking and barking.
Other signs to detect heartworms
If your dog loves to play fetch, take the dog for a walk and check to see if they play like before. Your dog will be eager to play fetch but within ten minutes will retire and become exhausted with heavy panting and lethargy.
Like us, our dogs also have the common habit of coughing and sneezing most of the day. Sometimes this common symptom is misconstrued as just a common cold and not supervised properly. If your dog coughs very frequently with a soft but a deep screeching song, it indicates an early symptom of heartworm disease and requires immediate veterinarian attention.
Other symptoms include vomiting, loose and bloody stool, jaundice, poor coat condition, and blindness. Any of these symptoms requires immediate and attention from the clinic.
If you are paying close attention to your dog every day, heartworm symptoms can be detected and treated easily and effectively to save the life of a treasured member of the family.