Heartworm Checks

[skunkmandy]

Make sure to get a heartworm check for your dogs. Heart worms are passed my mosquitos. IF you dont get blood drawn for the check and still give your dog heartworm medication then it could kill your dog if it has heartworms.

[JustJo]

Good post! Having had experience with a positive heartworm dog I cannot stress the importance of heartworm preventative meds. My rescue dog, Rockie, tested positive the day before I was to officially sign the final papers and get her home. Luckily, at the time, Rockie was estimated to be around 1.5 to 2 years old and being a younger dog certainly helps in the battle against heartworm. Claire from the rescue group called me very upset and I guess she thought I wouldn't want Rockie because of that. She started crying when I told her that we would do anthing possible for Rockie and that I wanted her no matter what her health problems were. Rockie then had to go through the treatment, which consists of deep muscle injections in the lower back over a course of two days. This is a very painful and traumatic treatment. The vet and Claire told me that anyone who does not give heartworm preventative to their dogs (if they live in a susceptable area with mosquitoes) should come in and observe a treament session and then think how they would feel if it was their dog. After treatment Rockie needed to be kept very quiet with no exercise or excitement. This is because as the adult worms are dying they break up, the parts go into the lungs where they lodge in the small blood vessels and are eventually reabsorbed by the body. There is high risk of embolism during this time frame so keeping the dog still and quiet is essential. This was my first month with poor Rockie girl. I kept her crated when I wasn't home to make sure she was still. Rockie did not require the follow up treatment one month later for microfilaria because she had been on Interceptor while with the rescue group. To my understanding (and Rockie is living proof) heartworm preventative will not kill your dog if they are positive for heartworm. There is a risk of embolism just as with the treatment, but some vets actually start treatment with the preventative to kill off the microfilaria first. It will not kill the adult worms but will kill the microfilaria which prevents the dog from being a carrier of the disease.

6 months later Rockie passed the test and was declared heartworm free. She was traumatized by the treatment however, and now needs to be mildly sedated before going to the vet for just about anything because she just freaks out at just about any procedure the vet needs to do, such as draw blood, trim toenails, take temperature, you name it. Also, the treatment for heartworm positive is expensive, around $500 to $600, and risky so..... heartworm preventative is the best and cheapest way to protect your dog from this. You don't want to go through the treatment - trust me on that.

[Magnum]

Wow Jo, Rockie has been down many roads and look at her today. ;) She continues to be blessed, and has a wonderful angel watching over her.

Thanks Skunkmandy for this friendly reminder. I do know some people that only give their dogs heartworm preventative during the heavier mosquito season. That is too risky for me, so I have better peace of mind keeping Magnum on it year around.

[Python]

Thanks for the info.. I will get my dogs checked asp.

[RWDVM]

Justjo, great information, I could not have described heartworm disease, its treatment, and possible complications better myself. Either your vet gives excellent client education or you did indepth research. And good for you for adopting a heartworm positive dog.

Here in Florida, as well as in other sub-tropical areas, dogs left unprotected have a nearly 100% chance of becoming infected in their lifetime. I treat between 2-4 new cases of heartworm per month.

As far as administering heartworm perventative to a positive dog causing death, this is possible, but rare. Never do this without a veterinarian's guidance, as you need to be armed with medications that will stop any anaphylactic reaction that may occur. It is these reactions that, though quite rare, have the potential to cause death.

Good topic, shunkmandy, one of the more important topics in canine preventative medicine. rw

[Jerica]

Does anyone have an idea how much it costs to get a heartworm test? I will call my vet soon to find out, but I want to get my Shiloh tested as soon as I can. He's almost 11 years old, lives outside, and there seems to be tons of mosquitos right now. What are the best preventatives anyway? I asked in another post of mine, but have got no response.

[skunkmandy]

Jerica-
the cost of a HWC depends on where you life. In my vet office in Iowa it costs $27 but it could be more in a bigger city. The the type of heartworm preventitive depends on what you want it to cover (and price ranges).
Heartguard is a very popular med. This come in a beef flavored chewable that most dogs take as a treat. This is just for the heartworm- it is the cheapest (at least in my vet office).
Intercepetor is a pill you give your dog and it does heartworm and a few intestinal parasites.
Sentinal is made by the same company as interceptor but it also includes flea and tick preventitive in the pill.
Revolution is another heartworm med that does heartworms and flea and tick. but the tick protectant is not very good so the company that makes revolution sends out free tick collars to anyone who buys revolution since they cant guarntee that it will keep ticks off you dogs.
Frontline plus is a topical that can be used with heartguard or interceptor that is very good at protecting pets from fleas and ticks. its a liquid that you squirt on the back of neck between shoulder blades on the skin and it channels down the body through the sweat glands.

hope this helps!
Mandy

[Jerica]

Thanks! That did help me.