The Importance of Care for the Heartworm Treatment Dog

This is Shadow. He is a member of the HOTLR family and is heartworm positive. He looks perfect on the outside, but on the inside heartworms have invaded his heart and lungs.

Heartworm disease comes with rescue. It’s a fact. The good news about heartworm disease is that it is preventable. It’s also treatable, but there are several downsides to treatment.

The disease is graded into categories. Category 1 is the least serious, while Category 4 is the most serious. To categorize the disease properly, xrays should be taken. Regardless of the stage of the disease, the treatment is the same. The heartworms must be killed in order to leave the dog’s body. Most dogs require 2 - 3 injections to rid the body completely of the worms. Complete treatment for heartworm disease is expensive. It can cost anywhere between $500 - $1000.

Killing the worms is not easy. Treatment is painful for the dogs as well. There is only one way at this time to effectively eliminate heartworms in a relatively safe and efficient manner. This treatment requires the dogs to be given a series of injections spaced 3 – 4 weeks apart. The medication that is used to treat the worms is called Immiticide. Immiticide contains arsenic. This is the active compound that kills only the adult heartworms. If taken in large enough doses, it is a drug that is fatal to humans as well as dogs. Immiticide is injected into the deep tissue muscles of the lumbar spine. It hurts….

Prior to treatment, dogs must be on antibiotics for 4 weeks. They must stay on these antibiotics through the duration of their treatment. They will also be treated with Heartgard. Heartgard or its generic form known as Triheart is used to kill any baby heartworms that the Immiticide can not. These dogs cannot take other heartworm preventatives during this time. Heartworm treatment dogs will also be prescribed a steroid. They must also stay on this steroid during the duration of their treatment. The steroid will cause them to drink more frequently and also need to urinate more frequently. They may have accidents in the house. It’s not their fault. It’s their illness.

In addition to the antibiotics and the steroids, the dog will require pain meds. Heavy duty pain meds known as Tramadol – a cousin to morphine will need to be given the first 3 – 5 days after each injection.

Now here’s the really important part….It is imperative that dogs undergoing heartworm treatment have no exercise or do not get overly excited. That means no ball playing, no swimming, no leash walks, no NASCAR in the backyard. The dog should be given cage rest if he is unable to stay quiet in the house, and should only go outside on leash for elimination walks.

Why? The dog undergoing heartworm treatment is at an increased risk of suffering a pulmonary thromboembolism. This is because the heartworms are breaking up into pieces as they die and begin to pass from the body. These bits can cause blockage of the primary arteries carrying blood between the heart and lungs. If these become blocked, the dog could die. So any increase in activity that requires the heart and lungs to work hard, can increase the chances that thromboembolism can occur. The steroids work to reduce the inflammation caused in the body as the heartworms die. That is why it is imperative that the dog stays on steroids throughout his treatment. In addition, the antibiotics will stop infection from developing in the lungs and throughout the body as the heatworms die. That’s why it’s imperative that the dog continue on antibiotics throughout the duration of his treatment. The Heartgard heartworm preventative will kill any baby worms in the dog’s body as well as keep him heartworm free as the adult worms die. That’s why it’s imperative to continue to give Heartgard to your dog during his heartworm treatment. The pain medication will aid in relieving pain at the injection site, as well as any pain associated with the worms as they die. In addition, it will help keep the dog quiet and comfortable so that he may rest more easily. That’s why it’s imperative to give your dog ALL of his pain meds.

This information is not meant to scare you. I have not known a dog in HOTLR to die because of heatworm treatment, but I have known other dogs that did. Heartworms dogs are “easy keepers”. You feed them, give them their meds, crate them and take them on elimination walks. Besides, lots of love, that’s all that’s really needed to care for one. HOTLR needs fosters that are willing to take on heartworm treatment dogs. They cannot be in a kennel environment during treatment. However, I cannot stress enough the importance to follow every direction to the “t” when recovering a heartworm dog.

HOTLR is so very appreciative of its foster families. We cannot thank you enough for the love and care you give to these beautiful dogs as they wait for their second chances. It is because of you that we are able to save as many dogs as we do, especially the heartworm positive kind. Dogs like Shadow deserve a second chance at a healthy long life just as much a rescue without heartworm disease, don’t you think? Thanks so much for all you do.

For more information regarding heartworm disease, check out:

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/

If you have any questions at all about caring for a heartworm dog, please feel free to contact Marcy Stellfox.

Email: marcystellfox@gmail.com

Cell: (512) 658-7355