During cage rest for non-symptomatic dogs: Continue to use enrichment toys. Training sessions should be very controlled and very stationary. Make sure heartworm positive dogs are crated near other calm dogs.
Special Care During Heartworm Disease Treatment
During the two-month period (30 days after each injection), the dog must adhere to strict exercise restrictions. This means keeping the dog on a leash at all times when outdoors, avoiding excessive activities such as running, jumping, rough play, or retrieving. Only short walks for bathroom breaks are allowed.
If the dog's heart rate is increased by exercise or excitement, the worm pieces can be forced into the tiny blood vessels of the lungs, increasing the chances of complications.
Your veterinarian is going to advise you that your heartworm positive dog should not do activities that keep the dog's heart rate elevated. This means your heartworm positive dog should not run, jump, sprint, go for long walks, play chase, fetch, have zoomies, run up and down the stairs, and the like.
If your dog loves to play throw the ball, don't do that for the couple months they're needing rest. If there are things that get your dog real excited around the house, jumping up and down on the couch, running around when the doorbell rings, try and limit those things.
The exercise restriction during melarsomine treatment is so important. As the heartworms die, they float around in the bloodstream and lodge in the walls of blood vessels. If your dog exercises too hard, the fragments can get shoved into narrowing blood vessels potentially causing a blockage/embolism and even death.
The most critical time is the first few weeks after the Melarsomine injections. This is the time the dog's body must deal with all the dead heartworms in its circulation. The most important thing during this period is to keep the dog as still as possible. This means as little exercise as possible.
Cage Rest
That means your dog should be restricted to a very small area at all times throughout the entire treatment period (the use of a small cage or crate may be necessary), and continuing for 6 to 8 weeks after the last injection of melarsomine (the drug that kills adult heartworms).
There may be some muscle soreness in his/her lower back as a result of the injections administered in this area for the heartworm treatment. The soreness usually resolves within 3-7 days after the treatment. Please administer the prescribed medication to relieve the discomfort.
Close observation is crucial when your pet is undergoing heartworm treatment. Owners should watch for changes in behavior, breathing, or energy levels and report concerns promptly. Limiting strenuous activity during treatment helps reduce strain on the heart and lungs.
Do the heartworm treatment injections hurt? The injections are given within the muscle and can indeed be uncomfortable, but the inflammation that develops within the days following creates the most discomfort. Restlessness, panting, trembling and reduced appetite can all be signs that the dog is uncomfortable.
With minor variations, treatment of heartworm disease typically takes 2-5 months to complete. The most important thing you can do during the treatment is to restrict your dog's physical activity to a bare minimum of short leash walks for bodily functions (urinating, defecating) only.
The medicine in the treatment (Immiticide) can cause a lot of inflammation at the injection site. This can occur no matter how smoothly things go and how little it seems to bother the dog at the time. This can range from being absolutely undetectable to a dog that is crying constantly with pain.
For up to 6 weeks after receiving these injections, it will be absolutely essential to keep your dog calm. That means restricting all exercise and activity that would elevate your dog's heart rate or increase his blood pressure. That's because dead heartworms potentially lead to fatal blood clots. Kennel Rest!
No jumping on the couch, no large flights of stairs, even car rides should be kept to a minimum. Absolutely no playing. Now is a good time to give the dog Kongs or other activities they can do to keep their mind busy but keeps their body calm.
Heartworm treatment can occasionally lead to vomiting, loss of appetite, lethargy, and mild swelling at the injection site. Some pets may also experience coughing or a temporary fever as a reaction to the medication and the dying heartworms.
Restrict exercise.
But your dog's normal physical activities must be restricted as soon as the diagnosis is confirmed, because physical exertion increases the rate at which the heartworms cause damage in the heart and lungs. The more severe the symptoms, the less activity your dog should have.
Most dogs who receive timely and appropriate treatment for heartworm go on to live full, healthy lives. However, if the disease was advanced, some may have lasting damage to the heart or lungs that requires ongoing care. That's why prevention is always the best medicine.
However, Heartgard Plus Chewables cannot prevent the development of the adult stage. Use with caution for collies and other herding dog breeds. These breeds have been known to have adverse reactions to ivermectin at elevated dose levels.
The injections (called an Immiticide or Adulticide because it kills adult heartworms) are made in the lumbar region with a long needle; the Immiticide is an arsenic-based compound (though the modern compound has less arsenic than older compounds): it can hurt some dogs, cause pain to spread throughout the lower back ...
Heartworm antigen testing is the most reliable method of confirming that all of the adult heartworms have been eliminated. Although many dogs are antigen-negative 16 weeks after treatment, it can take longer for the antigen to be completely cleared from some dogs.
How successful is heartworm treatment? The 3-part injection of melarsomine is 98% effective at killing the adult worms. However, dogs who do not receive adequate rest after the injections are at risk for pulmonary embolisms, which can be fatal, due to dying worms blocking blood flow in the lungs.
Treatment for heartworm can cause serious complications for your pet's health and can be potentially toxic to the dog's body. Many dogs experience soreness and swelling at the site of their injections. The most severe side effects are related to a large number of worms suddenly dying.