Heartgard

It isn’t surprising that the cat has snuck its cute little head into the races as a pet owner favorite around the world. The internet itself has only helped bloom the fame of these feisty felines as they’ve owned the world of memes and motivational posters from day one. Unfortunately, there are diseases in the world that threaten a wide range of our pets, cats included. This is the heartworm, an infection that if left untreated, can seriously impair and even kill cats. Luckily, there are people out there who’ve decided that cats and animals in general are worth protecting. The people at Merial have made a drug called Heartgard which, in the case of cats, can treat heartworm as well as prevent it from ever getting a foothold in your cat.

Heartworm usually infects through mosquitoes, their favored vectors. As its name suggests, heartworms spend a large amount of their time living in your pet’s heart. For other animals, such as dogs, the heartworm at its worst can create a several thousand worms per day to infect the canine. This can lead to horrible symptoms over six months, such as blindness or lameness. Sometimes they can even not produce symptoms at all, hiding in the shadows. Luckily for cat owners, the cat is much more resistant to the worm and reacts better to Heartgard. Most larvae do not last very long in a cat, leaving them with two to five infections and their life span inside a cat is significantly shorter, reduced to two or three years. Unfortunately, this has the side effect of more misplaced larvae affecting the brain.

Heartgard seeks to prevent that risk from ever coming to fruition or if it’s there, treat it. The drug is available from any veterinarian who prescribes it to your pet and has been deemed safe for your pets of any weight. Cat owners can rejoice once more as while an infected dog cannot take Heartgard, infected or non-infected cats can take it as they will, as long as they follow the prescription. Overdose can quickly lead to blindness or in the worst case, even death, so owners should make sure that does not happen. Cats also have an extra boon in Heartgard as for them, it also controls hookworms. It uses Invermectin to treat the sickness. While Invermectin has a history of causing side effects, there is little enough of it that is not a concern.

Tags: Pets, Pet Meds, Heartworm, Pet Health, Cat