Heartworm Disease is characterized by a Heartworm infection resulting in any number of problems caused by damage due to the presence of Heartworms in the heart and nearby blood vessels. The Heartworm is a parasite that when mature is thin spaghetti-like worms that infest the heart and pulmonary arteries. The damage they cause is to the lining of the arteries which inflames them, blockage of blood vessels and then a fluid buildup around the blood vessels near the lungs caused by the blockage.

This results in a loss of useful lung tissue and reduces the effective area of the lungs to oxygenate the blood for the body’s needs. An infected dog will cough, not be able to exercise, have nosebleeds and shortness of breath.

Heartworm Disease is treatable, however sometimes the damage done is irreversible. The easiest way to manage this type of disease is to prevent it from ever happening. A yearly test is done by your vet to determine if your dog is Heartworm free. If it comes back negative, your dog can be given a monthly dose of Heartguard to prevent your dog from getting this deadly disease.

Heartguard is basically a dewormer - it contains the drug Ivermectin. While some people may argue that they don’t want to pay the cost of a monthly wormer - a year supply for a 50 pound dog is about $75, the cost of treatment in both a financial and emotional toll is much greater. Giving your dog a Heartworm preventative such as Heartguard is the easiest way to keep your pet safe from a damaging, deadly disease.

Suzi Sevcik is the creator of http://www.dogvetcare.com a site dedicated to providing dog owners with expert advice on care for their four legged member of the family. For more articles on care for your dog, see http://www.dogvetcare.com/articles/. You can reach Suzi by email at: suzi@dogvetcare.com.