Honestly speaking, there are only two ways in which you can effectively prevent heartworms from attacking your dog and becoming a problem. The first one is to never let any mosquito that carries heartworm get inside your house and near your dog. The second is to never let your dog go outside of your house, not in your yard, and especially not during mosquito season.

These ideas would make sense if you lived in a brick house with no doors and windows! They could also work if you have a dog that does not enjoy playing and being outdoors and has no need to go outside. But in reality, there is no sure way to keep your pet from being bitten by a mosquito that carries heartworm. And because all dogs love playing outside and sticking their noses everywhere, it is essential for them to get proper care and sensible preventative measures to ward off heartworm infestation.

Below are four suggestions you can apply that can reduce your dog’s risk of getting infested with heartworms:

1. Consult your vet about preventive medication from heartworms. This way, even if your dog is bitten by a mosquito that is infected with this parasite, the medication in his body will automatically destroy the heartworms before they start to mature and cause illness. Even though your dog does not like the outdoors, it is always possible that a mosquito could slip in and stop for a bite. So even if your dog is an indoor pet, it is wise to give him heartworm medication.

2. Before you administer the heartworm medication to your dog, make sure that he is not already infected. It can be dangerous to give heartworm preventive drugs to a dog that is already infected with the parasite. Have your vet perform a blood test before prescribing the medication. Make sure that your dog is not already infected, and then he can start taking the medication. Keep in mind that it is possible for some of the older tests for heartworm to be inaccurate. It is always ideal to have your vet see your dog’s record and decide if he needs to have a newer and more accurate test before administering the heartworm medication.

3. Since it is difficult to entirely keep mosquitoes away from you, your house, and your dog, you can put up a tight-fitting door and window screens to minimize their chance of getting in. You should also replace or fix damaged screens as soon as you can.

4. If you have thought about putting up a birdhouse in your yard, then you should consider getting a purple martin birdhouse. The birdhouse will attract these hungry birds to your property where they can eat thousands of mosquitoes per day and thus minimize the number of mosquitoes, especially those infected with heartworms.

Summertime is the best time of the year for everyone. It is the season where you and your dog can spend most of the days outdoors and do various types of summer activities. But while you and your dog are enjoying the barbecue and the warm weather that the season brings, so too are the mosquitoes and the dog parasites that they carry with them.

Getting bit by a mosquito is annoying enough for humans. But for dogs, a mosquito bite can be more than just an itch and an annoyance. Parasite contaminated mosquitoes live in nearly all parts of the country. This dog parasite carrier is mostly abundant in the Atlantic coasts and the Gulf. The dog parasites that these mosquitoes carry are called heartworms. And unless your dog is already taking some sort of preventive care from this dog parasite, one bite from an infected mosquito, and your dog can be seriously infected from this dangerous dog parasite.

Just as the name suggests, heartworms are dog parasites that literally live in your dog’s heart. Once the heartworm settles in your dog’s heart, he will most likely experience coughing, weight loss, and rapid breathing. Death sometimes occurs on an extreme case of this dog parasite. Although some cats can also be infected with heartworms, dogs are usually the helpless victim of this parasite.

This dog parasite can pose a serious threat to your dog if you fail to recognize the early symptoms. Heartworms are a rather difficult condition to treat. The common drug used to get rid of the worms contain a chemical that causes serious illness and a negative reaction to the dog more than the disease itself.

If this dog parasite is detected at its early stages, then your dog will have a better likelihood of a successful treatment. It will be a lot harder to treat this dog parasite once it has reached its advanced stages of infestation. For this reason, it is very important to visit your vet at the first sign of symptoms. These symptoms include fatigue, coughing, and rapid breathing.

Many dog owners prefer a more natural and non chemical treatment to this type of dog parasite. Below are some suggestions to help prevent the infestation of heartworms.

1. If possible, give your dog an all natural raw food diet that is rich with raw garlic and a generous amount of yeast. These foods are helpful in repelling mosquitoes from the dog’s skin.

2. To further minimize exposure to mosquitoes, minimize the likelihood of getting infested with this dog parasite, you should keep your dog indoors during the night. You may use a natural insect repellent when she has to go outside.

Ringworm is a condition that is acquired through contact with the skin and hair of an infected dog or other animal. Ringworm is caused by a fungus that eats the skin and hair of its host. It usually appears in human as circular, scaly, red areas. As the parasite grows, it spreads inward forming a circular shape that looks like the shape of a ripple when you drop a stone in a pond.

In dogs, the affected area appears hairless, thickened, scabby, and irritated. They are usually disk-shaped and about one inch or more in diameter. A lot of ringworm cases transmitted by animals come from cats, although dogs can also carry the spores without showing any visible signs.

In humans as well as animals, the number of infection from ringworm is steadily increasing. In fact, ringworm infection is now among the most common if not the most common fungal disease reported. While children are more vulnerable to ringworm than adults, humans can get infected at any age. Here is a way you can treat ringworm using a common herb:

You may use the herb goldenseal and make a strong infusion by mixing the powdered herb with one cup of boiling water. Let it stand until cold then carefully pour the liquid and massage it on the skin about once or twice a day.