Treatment measures for heartworm in dogs

Deworming:

1. Kill adult worms: Inject arsenite intravenously at a dose of 22 mg/kg body weight Sodium, twice daily for two days. Intravenous injections should be given slowly and fluid should not leak out of the blood vessels to prevent tissue inflammation and necrosis. Or use dichlorobenzene arsenic hydrochloride at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight, intravenously, once every 4-5 days. This drug has a strong repellent effect and low toxicity.

2. To expel microfilariae: Use levamidazole at a dosage of 10 mg/kg body weight, orally, for 15 days. Test the blood after the 6th day of treatment. When no microfilariae can be detected in the blood, stop treatment. Or use ivermectin (trade name: Harmicide), the dosage is 0.05~0.1 mg/kg body weight, one intradermal injection; or use fenthion, subcutaneously inject 0.2 ml of 7% solution per kilogram body weight, for the necessary time Repeat 1-2 times every 2 weeks. Symptomatic treatment should also be carried out according to the condition.

Preventing and eliminating intermediate hosts:

1. Preventing and eliminating fleas and mosquitoes is an important measure to prevent this disease;

2. Drug prevention can also be used. The oral dose of diethylcarbamazine (Haiqunsheng) is 6.6 mg/kg body weight. The drug should be used continuously during the mosquito and fly activity seasons;

3. For microfilaria-positive dogs, it is strictly forbidden to use diethylcarbamazine. Adult worms and microfilariae must be killed with medication before diethylcarbamazine can be used for prevention.

Causes of heartworm disease in dogs

1. Dog heartworm (also known as heartworm) is yellow-white and elongated in the shape of a fan. The male worm is 120~160 mm long, with a spirally curled tail, and the female worm is 250~300 mm long. The viviparous larvae are called microfilariae, which live in the blood. They are 307-322 microns long and have no sheath.

2. Canine heartworm needs dog fleas, Anopheles mosquitoes or Culex mosquitoes as intermediate hosts to complete its life cycle.

3. The female parasitizing the right ventricle produces microfilament, which can move freely and enter the blood. When fleas and mosquitoes suck blood, they suck microfilaments into the human body and develop into infective larvae, which enter the beaks of fleas and mosquitoes. When fleas and mosquitoes feed on blood, the larvae escape from the proboscis of the final host and circulate subcutaneous lymph or blood to the heart and blood vessels.

Clinical symptoms of heartworm in dogs

1. The earliest symptom is chronic cough, but there are no other symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection. It is aggravated by exercise, or the sick dog is prone to fatigue during exercise.

2. As the disease progresses, the sick dog develops hyperpalpitations, a weak and intermittent pulse, and murmurs in the heart. The liver area is painful on palpation and hepatomegaly. Fluid accumulation in the chest and abdomen, and edema all over the body. Difficulty breathing.

3. In cases of long-term infection, pulmonary heart disease is very obvious.

4. In the final stage, death occurs due to general weakness or collapse during exercise.

5. Sick dogs are often accompanied by nodular skin disease.It is characterized by itching and multiple focal nodules that tend to ulcerate. Skin nodules are pyogenic granulomatous inflammation in the center of blood vessels. Microfilariae are common in the blood vessels surrounding pyogenic granulomas.