Heartworm
At the first of the month we give Jasmine her treatments to prevent heartworm and fleas. I know how important this is and is a cost of having a dog. I have always used the 1st as the day as it is easy to remember that way. Since I have done this for so long, it occurred to me that I do not even know the symptoms of heartworm. I take it for granted that she is protected against this and realize that I would not even recognize it if she was affected. I did a little research and found that some typical symptoms are:
- Coughing
- Reluctance to play (hard to detect if you have a quiet dog)
- Lethargy
- Rapid breathing
- Weight loss
I encourage you to make sure you are treating your dog with preventive measures, but familiarize yourself with the signs also. It is a serious condition that you do not want to leave unnoticed. For more information on Heartworm symptoms read the post at dogster.com.
