Depending on the severity and
class of heartworm infestation in your canine the treatments can vary from specific medications designed to kill the worms, to hospitalization to remove the worms.
We highly recommend it for dogs with significant risk factors: a «snub - nose» anatomy (snub - nose breeds are very susceptible to respiratory infections, have a higher mortality rate, and have a harder time clearing the disease), heart and / or pulmonary disease (such as dogs with congestive heart failure, a
history of heartworm infestation, etc), suppressed immune systems (such as after chemo therapy), and competition dogs (show dogs, performance dogs, search & rescue dogs, etc).
The
effects of heartworm infestation are not often noticed immediately and, as a result, once a dog is diagnosed an individual dog may be harboring hundreds of heartworms, notes WebMD.
Generally, the
symptoms of a heartworm infestation in a cat will manifest differently than would be the case with a dog, and the nebulous nature of this difference makes a diagnosis in cats particularly difficult.
The first
sign of heartworm infestation may not manifest for a year after infection, and even then the soft cough that increases with exercise may be dismissed as unimportant by the owner.