Bea, my brother's beagle, and her litter of 3 pups.jpg)
Chiqui, the pekingese who started it all...and her litter of 6 pups
She is now retired from breeding.
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Rutrott, the rottweiler, The "gentle giant", and her pup
Muymuy (dark yellow), and her 6 month old only puppy (light yellow) soaking up the sun
Heartgard is not an ordinary preventive medicine, it comes in a chunky, meaty-looking preparation. Dogs love this stuff, it has a very inviting smell, I myself wonder how it tastes like, (but i never tried one of course, if I were a dog, I know I would...hehehe)
Heartgard comes in three doses:
Small breed = chihuahua, pekingese, Shih tzu
Medium breed= beagle
Large Breed=Labrador, Golden retriever, Rottweiler
You may also follow the dose equivalent to the weight of your dog which is indicated on the box.
Need more info?
http://heartgard.us.merial.com/home/
WHY is it fatal to our dogs?
Simple, when the adult heartworms die, they can obstruct blood vessels to the lungs (these are called pulmonary embolisms). If only a small part of the lung is involved, there may be no clinical signs. However, if the vessels to a large portion of the lung, or a small area of an already diseased lung are blocked, severe signs may result.
SYMPTOMS:
These include fever, cough, coughing up blood, and even heart failure.
Okay, now we know what heartworm is, what causes it, its fatality, now WHAT?
First, in mosquito infested areas, it is recommended that you have your dog checked by a veterinarian for heartworms. This is done either by direct observation of blood sample under the microscope. A positive result would mean, tiny microfilariae are seen in the blood sample. Or, by undergoing AGEN test, whereby, a few drops of the blood sample is administered to a "pregnancy-kit" looking apparatus, wait for a few minutes, then like a pregnancy kit, one line is negative, two lines indicative of a positive result, something like that.
If it's a negative result, good for your dog, now, all you have to do is prevent heartworm from infecting your dog by giving him HEARTGARD plus once every month. http://heartgard.us.merial.com/home/
If it's a positive result, talk to your veterinarian about possible treatments.
For detailed Information click on link>> http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1621&articleid=743
My beloved Goofy, murdered by ticks
Picture taken from http://compassionforcamden.org/mean1.html
Syrup for Puppies
Tablet form for Adults
Deworming and Vaccinations are very important to your canine friends...From pup to adulthood, this schedule must be followed upon the advise of your veterinarian. While most dog owners rely on their veterinarian, some breeders take the matter in their own hands. The safest you can do on your own is to deworm your dog, while vaccination, well, I'd rather let the experts handle that.
For deworming puppies, we use Wormban(troy), this come in syrup form, read instructions on the bottle. Syrup form is designed for puppies and it is important to weigh the pup accurately to prevent overdosing.
For deworming Adult dogs, we use canex(pfizer) or popantel, both in tablet form. One tablet treats a 10kg dog. Round up to nearest half or whole tablet. Pls ensure accurate weight of dog prior to deworming.
(example1: A Rottweiler of 35Kg is given 3 and a half tablets of canex.)
(example2: A pekingese of 5kg is given half a tab of canex)
DEWORMING
Puppies>> Treat at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks
Dog from 12 weeks>> Every 3 months or every 6 weeks in HYDATID infested areas.
Pregnant bitches>> Treat at mating, before whelping and then every three (3) months
This is my beloved noelle, a parting gift from my very first Golden retriever, Goofy, who passed away this March 6, 2007 of renal failure. She is a spitting image of her father, only, she is more hyper than him, hopefully it's only because she is still a growing puppy.
