No, a dog with heartworm should have severely restricted activity, meaning vigorous walks, runs, and playtime must stop immediately after diagnosis; only short, leashed potty breaks are allowed, as exertion can worsen damage and cause fatal blockages from dying worms, requiring strict rest until treatment is complete. Mental stimulation (puzzles, training) replaces physical activity, and even indoors, dogs need crate rest to prevent excitement and strain.
Keeping Your Heartworm Positive Dog Happy
During exercise restriction: Give several; short leash walks during the off-temperature times of the day. These are SHORT walks, 10 minutes max at a leisurely pace. Provide more exploration and sniffing activities than actual walking.
Heartworm-positive dogs often face exercise intolerance and potential heart complications during treatment. Exercise restriction is critical immediately after a heartworm positive diagnosis to prevent severe complications. Physical activity increases the risk of pulmonary embolism as adult worms die during treatment.
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 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.
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.
Special Care During Heartworm Disease Treatment
The microfilaria will be killed with an injection approximately 4-6 weeks after treatment to rid the dog of the adult heartworms. We have a very high degree of success in treating heartworm disease when we get an early diagnosis, before severe heart damage has taken place.
Heartworm disease is not contagious, meaning that a dog cannot catch the disease from being near an infected dog. Heartworm disease is only spread through the bite of a mosquito. Inside a dog, a heartworm's lifespan is 5 to 7 years.
Yes exercise restriction even with no symptoms is normal. As the worms die off if dogs get too riled up pieces of the worms can break and cause blood clots. Our vet said slowly up and down stairs is fine and on and off the couch is okay too.
Another clear indicator of heartworm disease is lethargy. If your dog normally has a lot of energy but is now spending a lot more time sleeping or avoiding interacting with you, this may be due to their heart having to work harder to pump blood.
Administering Nexgard Plus during active heartworm infection is generally safe but should be done under veterinary guidance to avoid complications. Always consult your vet for appropriate heartworm treatment and timing of other parasite preventives.
Losing weight. Some worms eat the food our dogs consume. This means dogs can lose weight even if they're eating more, because some of the food is feeding the worms inside them.
As heartworm disease progresses, dogs may experience labored breathing or shortness of breath. This symptom is due to the increased pressure on the lungs and the heart, which makes it difficult for the dog to breathe normally. You may notice your dog panting excessively, even when at rest.
Heartworm disease can be painful if the heart is very enlarged or if the migration of the worm suddenly happens and causes some issues in the vessels.
Life threatening complications may arise if your pet is not confined. Specifically, your dog should not be allowed to run loose, play with other dogs, or go for any long walks. Your pet should remain on a leash at all times when outside.
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.
Ivermectin and Pyrantel are both anthelmintics or dewormers. Ivermectin is commonly known as a heartworm preventative by eliminating the tissue stage of heartworm larvae (Dirofilaria immitis). It is a monthly anti-parasitic agent that paralyzes, kills, and treats infections caused by gastrointestinal parasites.
A persistent, dry cough is a common sign seen in dogs with advanced heartworm disease. The cough caused by heartworm disease can be one of the first signs you notice in an otherwise healthy-appearing dog. Lethargy and reluctance to exercise are common signs described in dogs with advanced heartworm disease.
How Can I Get Rid of Heartworms Once My Dog Has Them? Your pet should begin taking an antibiotic called Doxycycline as soon as heartworms are diagnosed. Doxycycline is an antibiotic used for 1 month to kill a bacteria that lives in the adult heartworm, which weakens it.
In dogs, heartworm disease has four stages:
This requires strict exercise restriction, which is the cornerstone of postinjection care at home. Allowing a dog to run and play during this period is extremely dangerous (life-threatening) and must be avoided. See below. With minor variations, treatment of heartworm disease typically takes 2-5 months to complete.
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.
Heartworms can also cause nosebleeds, pneumonia, high blood pressure, seizures, blindness, and excessive sleeping. When heartworms reach places other than the heart and lungs, like the brain and eyes, dogs will experience seizures and blindness.