Cats And Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm infection occurs when a mosquito carrying infective heartworm larvae bites into a cat for a blood meal.

Cats and heartworm prevention.

Another clinical sign is sudden death. Continued monitoring of cats with heartworm disease is an essential component of any treatment plan. Heartworm prevention products are safe for cats 6 weeks of age and older and they should be continued year round for the entire life of your pet. Heartgard and interceptor come in a pill format for cats.

It s important to give your cat monthly heartworm preventives which are available in both spot on and pill form. Heartworm prevention is available in oral heartworm treatments like flavored chewable tablets and soft chews that are easy to give as a treat and they also come in single dose liquid that s applied topically to the skin and fur which is great for cats that are not very fond of medicines. Some cats may vomit. Heartworm prevention for cats comes in two forms.

Heartworm is rarer in cats than it is in dogs but when cats do contract it the outlook isn t good. For this reason heartworm prevention for dogs is by far the best option and treatment when needed should be administered as early in the course of the disease as possible. Heartworm associated respiratory disease hard. Heartworm disease in cats is primarily a lung disease.

If you find it difficult to give pills you may prevent a liquid treatment that you apply to the skin. It is crucial to give your cat heartworm prevention medication every month to prevent the spread of the disease if such a mosquito bite occurs because heartworm infection is fatal for cats currently there is no approved heartworm treatment for cats making prevention the only. Diagnostic testing efforts antibody and antigen measurements x rays and echocardiograms will typically be repeated at 6 to 12 month intervals to determine whether the management strategies have been effective. A cat that has developed heartworm disease has demonstrated that it is susceptible to heartworm infection and both outdoor and indoor cats are at risk.

Many cats may cough and be misdiagnosed with asthma. Since cats have so few heartworms diagnosis can be very challenging. Learn more about heartworm in cats and the steps you can take to prevent it in the first place. Prescription heartworm prevention medicine for cats.

A tablet form and a topical form. Finding the best heartworm medicine for your cat should be done in partnership with your veterinarian. If you are concerned about other pets licking and grooming each other a pill may be the preferred option. Heartworm disease in cats is very different from heartworm disease in dogs.

You should consider where they spend most of their time indoors or outdoors and how often you want to give them heartworm medication.