The Bond that can come between a person and a dog can be extremely strong, especially if that bond had been strengthened living with each other for many years, I have personally cried after loosing our family dog that had been like a best friend to me from my birth till I as 15 years old, when he was hit by a car one morning.

Dogs serve many different needs for people. Some people get a dog because they are lonely and need a loyal friend or because they want a dog to protect the home. A dog that is taken good care of and given attention to regularly will give his life to help protect his home and his owner. For the blind a dog can be a pair of eyes to help them get around and for the police a dog can be an important tool and a loyal partner, with a nose that nothing can beat.

The first thing you need to know about taking care of a dog is that dogs need lots of exercise. This is the same for large dogs and small dogs. All dogs need to be let out at least once every 8 hours and should given at least a 20 minute walk to give the dog some fresh air, exercise and a chance to relieve themselves.

It is also important to play with the dog on a regular basis. This can mean going to the park on a weekend or day off and having a good game of fetch, tossing the ball around in your back yard or just wrestling on the ground with the dog, just make sure if you are ruff housing with a little dog that you don’t accidentally hurt the dog. Playing with the dog for a half hour a day, is not only good for the dogs physical health but a dig that is played with regularly is mentally healthier and less likely to become a depressed dog, it also lowers your blood pressure as well and it will form an unbreakable bond between you and your pooch, which will extend to your family if you should start having one after having the dog.

What you feed your dog is very important to the dogs continued good health. The better dog foods will be marked for what are groups the food is appropriate for. Younger dogs need certain vitamins and minerals in larger amounts then an adult dog, and the same goes for an elderly dog they need more calcium in their food to help protect their bones and joints. Feeding your dog the wrong food can stunt the dog’s growth and opens the dog to a larger risk of surgery when they are older.

Just like a person a dog should be taken to the veterinarian’s office every 6 months, and must receive their shots every year. Regular checkups and vaccinations will also help assure that your dog grows to be an old happy dog.

Before the medication

Visit your veterinarian first to have your dog’s blood tested for heartworm disease. If your pet has been tested positive for heartworm disease, then ask your vet about the necessary treatments. Otherwise, you may proceed to getting a Heartgard as a preventive medicine for your dog. But before you leave the vet’s clinic, ask for a prescription for this medicine. You will not be able to buy Heartgard For Dogs without prescription. In addition, your puppy or dog must be older than six weeks of age before he can take the medication.
When shopping for the appropriate Heartgard for your dog, make sure to read the product label first.

The label contains necessary information such as the medicine’s benefits, dog’s weight to which the product is appropriate, and the amount of ingredients that the medicine contains. Also, make sure that you get the one that is right for your dog’s weight to avoid insufficient or excessive dosage of the medicine.

What are Heartworms?

Heartworms are a commonly found parasite in the same class as roundworms. This parasitic worm infects many different pets but is most commonly found in dogs. The parasitic worm has the diameter of thin spaghetti and can be observed free floating in the dog’s heart and neighboring blood vessels, hence the name “heartworm.” The parasite spends some of its life cycle in the animal’s heart. A heartworm infection can cause a serious disease in dogs that can result in the death of the pet.

How Does a Heartworm Infection Spread?

Heartworm infections are spread by mosquitoes. First, an infected dog is bitten by a mosquito. The mosquito becomes infected by the microfilaria of the parasite. The microfilaria grow into the parasite’s larvae within the mosquito. When the mosquito bites another dog, the larvae enter into the new host through the wound. The larvae take 6 months to mature into off spring producing adults. The adults reside in the heart and lungs of the dog. They then produce offspring that release into the dogs blood, starting the cycle again.

What Problems do Heartworms Cause?

Once in the heart, the worms occupy the vessels between the heart and lung. In an extreme infection, the heartworms can completely fill the right ventricle of the heart. This is referred to as Caval Syndrome. The presence of the heartworms also causes the destruction of red blood cells. The blood ends up in the urine discoloring it.

Signs of Heartworm Infection and Heartworm Disease

A dog does not show outward signs of being infected during the initial infection. However, if the dog is active and has a heavier infection, then it will begin to show signs. The signs include a distinctive cough. The dog will also tire easily. As the infection becomes more severe the dog experiences excessive weight loss, will cough up blood, faint and become listless and no longer has interest in dog toys. A severe untreated infection will eventually lead to congestive heart failure and then death.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Heartworms

Heartworm is diagnosed by a blood test or by x-ray. The blood is tested for the presence of a chemical released from the mature parasite; therefore, the blood test can only diagnose the disease when the worms are adults. Once the infection is diagnosed, treatment should start immediately. Mature heartworms are killed by arsenic containing compounds like Immiticide. The drug is injected into the muscle of the dog as an outpatient or in some cases, hospitalization is recommended. A treated dog is required to rest for a few weeks after treatment. This allows the dog’s body to absorb the dead worms. Purchase new dog toys that encourage the dog to be less active. In some cases, when Caval Syndrome is suspected, it may be necessary to surgically remove the heartworms to stabilize the dog before giving other treatments.

Prevention of Heartworms

The best way to prevent a pet from getting heartworms is prophylactic treatment. This kind of treatment is given monthly. Treatments like ProHeart or Heartgard are commonly used. These drugs are very effective, preventing infection in 99 percent of treated

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Our pets take great care of us; they provide love, accompaniment, affection and even exercise to create a better quality of life for humans. Isn’t it only fair that we do the same for them? Heartworm is one of the most catastrophic illnesses that a dog can get, but that is only if it is not properly treated. Heartgard is one of the most in use forms of treatment for heartworm disease, most likely due to the fact that it is nearly always effective. It can eliminate the worms that infect your dog’s heart and save it’s life, so needless to say Heartgard is an crucial part of any canine’s heath regimen. However, it can also be dangerous. Those who don’t know how to administer Heartgard to their dog can unintentionally cause an overdose of this medication and if not taken care of, an overdose of Heartgard can be lethal to your canine friend.

How Can a Dog Get an Overdose?

A dog can get an overdose of Heartgard in a couple of ways, but normally your administration will result in the overdose. Also, sometimes piggish dogs will get into the box and eat them and if they do that, they normally eat them all. In this case, you want to make sure that you always have it entirely out of the reach of your pet for their own good. It could be the difference between life and death!

What Happens During an Overdose of Heartgard?

The thing about Heartgard is that if your dog is already afflicted, you have to try another route to treatment. Heartgard is about prevention, not treatment so if you suspect your dog could be infected it is crucial to seek a veterinarian in advance. If you administer Heartgard and you suspect that your dog might be infected, there are some ways of being able to tell for sure. If your dog looks or acts dizzy and wobbles about, or is acting like he or she cannot see and bumping into things, that is one hint of an overdose. Also, if your dog is weaker than normal or is vomiting or shaking immensely, that is another hint of a Heartgard overdose. Obviously, fainting is another hint, but hopefully your pet’s overdose won’t go that bad.

How to Treat an Overdose of Heartgard

The only way that you can treat an overdose of Heartgard is to take your pet to the veterinarian. There is nothing that you can do from home and if you notice strange behavior and find that it is caused by an overdose of Heartgard it is crucial to act immediately. Obviously, an ounce of prevention is preferred in this case. Not keeping it in the house or putting it away from your pets is a great way of avoiding this from happening at all. Sure, your dog doesn’t know better than to overdose on Heartgard, but you do know better.

Natalie Williams is the author of WormsInMyPet.com. Visit her web site for more tips on getting rid of worms and preventing worms in your pet.

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For dog and cat lovers, heartworms can be a scary disease. It’s a disease that affects a growing number of our pets every year. Some die from it. And, as a result, many heartworm preventative medicines show up on the market to help protect our pets from this serious condition.

Heartgard is one of the most popularly sold heartworm preventative medicines among pet owners. It is also one of the most highly recommended medicines among veterinarians. But…many pet owners complain that Heartgard is too expensive. So, they turn to cheaper medicines that better fit their budget.

Are generic brands worth ‘the risk’?

When money’s tight, the availability of a generic Heartgard can be a real blessing. But let the buyer beware. There are some implications and considerations for pet owners to keep in mind pertaining to generic brands.

Because the costs of pet medications are high we tend to resort to buying generic brands that may not be as effective as the branded versions-even though the generic may be a registered version.

While some forms of generic Heartgard are FDA approved, know that there are also several illegal forms of generics being circulated. These generics are not registered in the United States and they are not FDA approved-even though their packaging may look similar to the branded versions.

Even some registered generic Heartgard knockoffs failed to write an FDA approved label, warning against human consumption, especially among children.

Also know that the metric doses used in some generic medicines can be confusing, and could lead to an overdose (or underdose) if given to pets.

Furthermore, because some generic Heartgards are unregistered and not FDA approved (and look so similar to branded versions), unknown ingredients may be toxic to your pet.

Ivermectin is the chief proven ingredient used in branded Heartgard to prevent and control heartworms in pets. Registered, FDA approved generic competitors know this and use the same principle ingredient. The difference is in the insignificant ‘filler’ ingredients used in the generic products.

The availability of generic Heartgard-at almost half the price-is extremely tempting. But it may not be worth the risk. And you may just be wasting your money. It is always sound advice to check with your veterinarian before buying any pet care product. And, again, whatever you decide: be careful.

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