My 2 rescue dogs have heartworms?

It has been said that the treatment of heartworm infection is somewhat of an art. There are several strategies that can be used depending on the dog's medical condition including the option of not treating at all. The important concept to realize is that harsh arsenic-based drugs are necessary to kill adult heartworms and that treating for heartworm infection is neither simple nor safe in itself.

Prior to therapy, the heartworm patient is assessed and rated for risk into one of four categories. Important factors include: how many worms are thought to be present based upon the tests performed, the size of the dog; the age of the dog; concurrent health factors; severity of the heart disease; and the degree to which exercise can be restricted in the recovery period. Some hospitals use computerized formulas to categorize heartworm infected patients. The categories into which patients are grouped are as follows:

Class I: Lowest Risk. Young healthy dogs with minimal disease evident on radiographs, normal blood work, and no symptoms of illness. They may cough only occasionally if ever, they only fatigue with exercise, and their chest radiographs are normal.

Class II: Moderately Affected. Healthy dogs with minimal signs as above, occasional coughing, fatigue only with exercise but with radiographs that show definite evidence of heart disease. Lab testing shows mild anemia, urine dipsticks show some protein, but not severe urinary protein loss

Class III: Severely Affected. Dog is suffering from weight loss, cough, difficulty breathing, blatant damage to the vasculature is apparent on radiographs, laboratory work reveals a more severe anemia and marked urinary protein loss.

Class IV: Caval Syndrome. Dog is collapsing in shock and dark brown urine is evident. Heartworms visible by ultrasound in the AV valve of the right side of the heart, and blood work is very abnormal. These dogs are dying and can only be saved by the physical removal of adult heartworms via an incision through the jugular vein. If such a dog can be saved from this crisis, further heartworm infection treatment cannot be contemplated until the dog is stable enough to fit into one of the other categories above.

The first step in treatment is clearing the migrating immature worms. If we were to jump directly to killing the adult worms first, the adult worms we remove could be readily replaced shortly afterwards by those that were in the process of migration at the time of treatment. By addressing the migrating immature worms first, we minimize the number of adult worms we must kill in the second step. Fewer adult worms dying at once means less risk.

Happily, the microfilariae, L3, and L4 larvae can all be killed by monthly ivermectin-based heartworm preventive products (i.e. Heartgard®, Tri-Heart® etc.). The milbemycin based products (Sentinel® and Interceptor®) will also do the same job but will kill the microfilariae much faster, which can create circulatory shock if there are large numbers of microfilariae dying all at one time. The newer products using selamectin and moxidectin do not clear microfilaria well enough to be used in the treatment of an active infection, so right now the ivermectin based products seem to be the best for this use. The American Heartworm Society recommends 1 to 3 months of a preventive prior to treating the adult worms. How long you choose to wait depends on how urgent the dog’s need is to have the adult worms removed. After all, it is the adult worms that cause heartworm disease, not the immature worms addressed by the preventives.

To treat and kill the adult worms, the only product currently available for the treatment of adult heartworms is melarsomine dihydrochloride (Immiticide® by Merial). If you follow the manufacturer's recommendations, treatment can be done in two doses or three doses depending on the class of infection. Most universities, however, opt to treat all patients with the three-dose protocol as it creates a more gradual kill of the adult worms, which is safer in terms of embolism and shock.

The patient receives an intramuscular injection deeply in the lower back muscles as shown above. This is a painful injection with a painful substance, and it is common for the patient to be quite sore afterwards at home. Pain medication may be needed. Be careful of the injection site as it may hurt enough to cause a dog to bite. An abscess may form at the site, which requires use of warm compresses. Approximately 30% of dogs experience some sort of reaction at the injection site that resolves in 1 to 4 weeks. Some dogs develop a permanent firm lump at the site of injection.

In the two-dose protocol, the dog receives a second injection the next day on the opposite side of the lower back. In the three-dose protocol, the dog comes back one month later for two doses 24 hours apart (the first dose represents an introductory treatment to kill some of the more sensitive worms.) Keep in mind,

Depending on how bad the infection is, I would consult another vet. A friend of mine found a beagle that had been abandoned in the woods. He had heartworms but not a bad infection. They put him on the preventive meds (heartguard) and tried to see if that would kill them. I've always heard that was bad but a year later Fred was free of heartworm and he's been on prevention ever since.

Yes, the cure is expensive, is a series of injections and can be lethal. The dog needs to be kept calm/confined during the treatment. Ask about the method the vet recommended for my friend though. Fred is alive and well years later.

First,which injections are we speaking of?Have the dogs actually seen

the vet? Or have you just been pricing the cost?Although heartrending,depending on their general health,these treatments are

pretty hard on a dog and some don't make it.I've never heard of a single injection,but we learn stuff every day.

Okay,went to IMMITICIDE Veterinary Information from Drugs.com.

Maybe you should check out this site next,they sem to have the

information you'll need.Good luck.

My dog is a rescue dog and had to go through this. It took about three months worth of treatments. She got sick from it and had to stay inside to stay in a climate-controlled place. But she has been heartworm-free for over a year now and she is my sweetest friend. If you love your dogs, you will find a way to do it. I know it's expensive, but if you had cancer, would your family try to afford your treatments??

How long ago did you recue them?

If it was only recently then the shelter should help cover the cost as they should have checked them before they adopted them out.

As others have stated, there is no "one shot" treatment that I have ever heard of.

If you research on the internet you will find sites that tell you that you can use Heartguard prevention to help TREAT the heartworm... DONT do it, it is useless.

The series of injections is the only way to go.

Good luck.

First off, I am sorry to hear that your dogs have heartworm. It is very costly and dangerous to treat. I would take them both to your regular vet for an exam and consultation with your veterinarian to discuss treatment options and risk. I know you said your dogs are rescue, and I am not sure of the circumstances, but I definetely recommend using Heartgard or another heartworm preventative such as Interceptor to prevent against heartworm disease in the future. Good luck, and I hope things work out for you and your dogs.

A friend of mine that does rescue gets her heartworm positive dogs treated at the Humane Society clinic for very little compared to what vets charge. You might also check with your local SPCA to see if they have a clinic that could help.

I have never heard of a single injection cure, I would be wary of that option.

The treatment is hugely expensive,very dangerous & doesn't always work.........one injection will NOT do it!

im not sure how to awnser your question but im sorry to hear they have heart worms and that is super expensive for a shot! wow. but when your pets are part of the family and love them, its worth it.