subject: Find Out The Best Heartworm Natural Prevention Tips That Can Help Save Your Pets Life [print this page] What is heartworm? This is when an infected mosquito bites the animal and passes on the contamination into the dog's system. The mosquito larva then enters into the bloodstream, and latches itself onto the tissues-- eventually extending to organs like the heart and the lungs. When the larva reaches adulthood and is not expelled from these vital organs; it will result in health complications, often leading to death.
Does this sound scary to you? Heartworms are a very real concern that troubles many pet owners. Fortunately, we have effective heartworm natural prevention measures that anyone can easily avail of which will help keep your dog safe from this condition.
The main point in avoiding heartworm is to make your dog as healthy as you can. Do this by engaging him in regular exercise and supplying him with fresh and vitamin-rich fare. Most commercial pet foods have processed chemicals that are bad for the animals well-being. Feed him a diet of raw meat, vegetables and servings of fruit instead.
Regular physical activity also keeps the animal's heart and circulatory system in top working order. Healthy white blood cells fight infection effectively, further strengthening the dog's immune system. The liver is a vital proponent in having a good immune system so you can also consider using recommended supplements that encourage excellent liver function.
Your pet will not have heartworm if there are no mosquitoes near enough to take a bite at them. Here are some accessible heartworm natural prevention herbs that are repellant for mosquitoes: Tumeric Root, Black Walnut Essence, Spearmint Herb and Garlic. Garlic and heartworms don't go well with the other simply because the smell of garlic is repugnant to the infection carrying mosquitoes.
Dogs under the 50 pound mark can have approximately half a teaspoon of garlic added to his meals daily. Heavier dogs can increase this dosage to up to 2 teaspoons but discuss with your vet or an animal expert before proceeding. Ingestion of excessive garlic is harmful to animals. You can also blend together crushed garlic and water to make a spray to cover your dog's fur or areas around the house that seem to gather most mosquitoes.
While garlic is helpful in turning off pesky mosquitoes, it may not bode too well for visiting friends and relatives. A more nose friendly concoction would be blending together 3 drops each of lavender and citronella extract, 10 tablespoons of rose geranium extract, 1 tablespoon alcohol based black walnut hull extract and 10 ounces of distilled water. Spray this mixture around your house or wherever there seems to be a lot of mosquitoes.
These natural prevention measures are much better than having to use the conventional preventive medications. These medications kill the heartworms by poisoning them; consequently they too are toxic and harmful for the dog as a whole. Have regular bi-annual check-ups with your veterinarian to test for heartworms so it can be treated as soon as possible.
