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Ashley S asked in PetsDogs · 7 years ago

Can I give my dog a second dose of heartworm meds?

My friend has a puppy who recently started losing weight. He took him to the vet and they treated him for tape worms about a week ago. But he's still losing weight. The vet wants to do a bunch more tests. But my friend has been without a job for about a month and just started a new one this month. He just can't afford the tests right now.

His dog is 8 months old, contiues to lose weight and is very lethargic. No other symptoms.

He had his 6 month check up and they gave him his 6 month shots (this included heartworm vaccine)

He's not sure if it was a six month shot or if it was a monthly dose they gave him.

It could be heartworm, if it is... would it hurt his puppy to give him a monthly dose now?

Also could be overactive thyroid, would it hurt him to give him over the counter meds for that?

Or, it could be diabetes... which means he'd have to get insolin shots (which I assume are not over the counter)

8 Answers

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  • 7 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    It depends on the heart worm medicine they used. Call the vet and ask.

    Source(s): Veterinarian
  • 7 years ago

    Some people who are diagnosed with diabetes haven't experienced any diabetes symptoms ? their diabetes was diagnosed from the results of a simple blood test.

    Many people, however, may notice one or more of the following diabetes warning signs:

    Urinating frequently. Since your kidneys must remove the excess glucose from your blood, it ends up in your urine, which can cause more frequent urination with more volume.

    Increased thirst. When you lose an increased amount of fluid through frequent urination, you may become dehydrated and thirsty. You?ll notice that you are drinking more fluids to stay hydrated.

    Excessive hunger. You may notice that you feel hungry all the time. Your body is unable to use the glucose you have and is trying to tell you it needs more fuel.

    Unexplained weight loss. Since your body is unable to use your blood glucose effectively, it begins to break down your energy stores such as fat, which can result in weight loss or a failure to gain weight in growing children. This can happen even though you are hungry and eating more.

    Fatigue. Feeling tired is a common diabetes symptom because your body cannot convert the glucose in your blood into usable energy.

    Irritable mood. Along with hunger and fatigue, it is not uncommon to feel irritable when you have diabetes.

    Blurred vision. High blood glucose levels can cause you to temporarily experience blurred vision.

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    High blood levels of glucose can cause several problems, including frequent urination, excessive thirst, hunger, fatigue, weight loss, and blurry vision. However, because type 2 diabetes develops slowly, some people with high blood sugar experience no symptoms at all. How to treat diabetes naturally https://tr.im/iW6jP

    Symptoms of type 1 diabetes:

    Increased thirst

    Increased urination

    Weight loss in spite of increased appetite

    Fatigue

    Nausea

    Vomiting

    Patients with type 1 diabetes usually develop symptoms over a short period of time, and the condition is often diagnosed in an emergency setting.

    Symptoms of type 2 diabetes:

    Increased thirst

    Increased urination

    Increased appetite

    Fatigue

    Blurred vision

    Slow-healing infections

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    If you think you have diabetes i think you should have a checkup and speak with your doctor just in case.

  • 7 years ago

    Doing nothing will probably be more tolerable to the dog than throwing random medications at him. Losing weight is better than losing weight and having a heart attack, or losing weight and losing a kidney, or losing weight and being in a coma... you get the idea.

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  • Marian
    Lv 4
    4 years ago

    1

    Source(s): Eliminate Diabetes Forever http://reversediabetestoday.enle.info/?5c54
  • ?
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    If you want to help your friend, then you would need to help pay for a vet visit. I don't think you have enough true information at all. Is your friend even sure what they are needing to do next?

    Did your friend have a written estimate of what the vet needs to do? The vet I work for has me make an estimate and explain it thoroughly to the owner. Then if the owner needs us to, we will go back through and prioritize the diagnostics to take them step by step. It sounds to me like your friend went in and had the exam and said she saw tapeworms (or they saw them during the exam) and just took those home.

    Ask your friend if you can contact the vet. You could go in and speak with a tech or even a receptionist about what needs to be done next.

    You are talking about thyroid and diabetes. Is this a young dog? Then those are not likely. You said puppy. It could be fleas/anemia, since the pup has tapes, and they get those from fleas. If they gave an injection for heartworms, then you don't want to give heartworm pill. That's totally the wrong track. If this is a puppy, then you cannot even test for heartworms until at least 6 months of age.

    Your friend has no idea what the vet did and no idea what his plan is. That is either the vet fault or hers, or both. Go back to the source, get the correct information, and then take up a collection if you have to so this puppy can be saved. Weight loss in puppies is a very bad sign.

  • Anonymous
    7 years ago

    You never give heartworm preventative without knowing what you're doing! If you don't know pick up the phone can ask the VET which it was. If it was monthly then your friend would given it to them in a chewy tablet or treat. Also if your friend doesn't know the difference between a shot and a monthly chew treatment he is in bad shape. I give my dog monthly doses and I keep them in the table by my bed. But what you're asking us could cause an OVERDOSE in the dog. Also your friend needs to get his dog to the vet to do a lot of tests or get a new vet if their vet is too inept to know why a dog is STILL losing weight. There is no way we can know if it's diabetes as we AREN'T VETS. Only a vet that tests for that can tell you.

    Source(s): common sense
  • Anonymous
    7 years ago

    Not sure

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