Feline Heartworm Symptoms
Heartworms are parasites that mosquitoes transmit to cats and dogs. These parasites migrate through an animal's circulatory system to its lungs and pulmonary arteries. If untreated, they will invade the heart and kill it. Heartworm disease symptoms differ in dogs and cats.
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Causes of Symptoms
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Heartworm larvae migrate to a cat's lungs, says Purdue University's Reni Winter, causing respiratory stress resembling asthma. These symptoms, accompanied by weight loss and lethargy, can be fatal.
Time Frame
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A 2003 Auburn University study found that cats get lung disease within three months of infections as dead larvae disintegrate in their bronchial tissue.
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Treatment
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Treatment of HARD (heartworm associated respiratory disease) is reserved for cats in which a large number of larvae die simultaneously, creating a crisis. They receive massive doses of corticosteroids and treatment with terbutaline, a bronchial dilator.
Considerations
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Cats develop other heartworm symptoms. Adapted to the canine system, heartworm larvae may mistakenly settle in a cat's brain or eyes, causing visual problems or seizures. Cats can also die suddenly if adult heartworms die and block their pulmonary arteries.
Prevention/Solution
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Prednisone treatment will limit your cat's symptoms until the adult worms die in two to three years. Avoid infection by treating it with a monthly topical heartworm preventive.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Joel Mills/Creative Commons
