Natural Remedies for Cats With Heartworms
Heartworms are deadly parasites that can develop from mosquito bites. They live in the right side of the heart and arteries of the lungs and cause the arteries to become blocked. Breathing becomes difficult and can even lead to heart failure.
Heartworms are thin, long worms. They can reach 30cm in length and tend to live in cats for up to three years. Common symptoms of a heartworm infestation include coughing, rapid or labored breathing, weight loss and loss of appetite, fatigue, and lethargy.
The disease can be treated with conventional or natural remedies for cats. A cat suffering from heartworms must also be treated for anemia and heart disease.
Conventional treatment
There are several conventional oral and topical heartworm treatments available that help to prevent larvae from developing into adult heartworms. These are typically administered once per month. However, these treatments have side effects such as vomiting, convulsions, and diarrhea and have been linked to serious disorders such as liver and kidney disease, arthritis, and skin allergies. They also tend to weaken the cat’s immune system.
Natural remedies for cats with heartworms
Natural remedies for cats are an effective alternative to treating heartworms in cats. These remedies are very safe to give to your cat. They are herbal and they benefit your cat twofold. They work very well in eradicating the parasites that cause the disease, cleanse the blood, support the immune system, and promote overall health and well-being.
There are quite a few herbs suitable for treating heartworms in cats. To expel the worms grate one garlic clove into a cup of skimmed milk and simmer for three minutes. Give one dropperful, three times a day of this infusion. Also prepare a tisane (herbal tea) of thyme, stinging nettle, marigold, and couch grass and give two droppers, three times a day. Use fresh herbs for this.
Bathe the heart three times a day in an infusion of chamomile and wormwood. Soak a flannel in the warm solution and hold it to the heart for half a minute at a time. Do this for 3-4 minutes, then put on a compress of Swedish bitters. Keep moist and change three times a day.
Also, feed three pills per day made of wild garlic leaves and sprinkle the leaves into the food. Herbal pills made of chopped rosemary, eucalyptus, cayenne, horehound, and pumpkin seeds are also beneficial.
Dietary supplements
Feed chopped carrots, beetroot, horseradish, onions, and watercress. Add a few drops of apple cider vinegar to any meat you feed and also give half a kelp tablet each day.
Preventative measures
Prevention of the disease is the best thing you can do for your cat. There are a few steps to can take to assure that your cat will have a long and healthy heartworm-free life.
The first thing you must do is to ensure that your cat is not tempted by mosquitoes. Mosquitoes love fats, sugars, eggs, creamy milk, and sugars, so cut down on these foods during the mosquito season.
Provide your cat with a healthy diet to boost its immune system. A diet rich in raw foods and plenty of fresh water is the best way to prevent all types of infections. Add small amounts of yeast and garlic to the food to ward off mosquitoes.
Certain herbs have proven to be effective natural remedies for cats for preventing mosquito bites. Give your cat pungent herbs in pills, tisanes, or chopped into food that is offensive to mosquitoes such as celery seed, garlic, sage, coriander, rosemary, thyme, wormwood, cayenne, onion, or ginger.
Use a natural insect repellent such as citronella oil to ward off mosquitoes. If you live in a mosquito-infested area, keep your cat indoors in the late afternoon and evenings to avoid mosquito bites.
Heartworms are a serious disease that has the potential to be fatal for your cat if you don’t treat it. So have your cat checked out if you suspect that it might have the condition, and ask your vet about natural remedies for cats with heartworms.
