During heartworm treatment, you can only take your dog for short, slow, leashed walks (5-10 mins, 3-4 times daily) for potty breaks, strictly avoiding running, jumping, or excitement for 2-4 months, as strenuous activity can cause fatal blood clots from dying worms; the first 30 days post-injection are critical, requiring significant confinement like crate rest.
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.
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.
After the first injection, the dog must undergo 30 days of bed rest. Then, the second and third injections are administered 24 hours apart, followed by another 45 days of strict bed rest.
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.
In the newly infected dog, it takes about 6 to 7 months for the infective larvae to mature into adult heartworms. The adult heartworms mate and the females release their offspring into the dog's bloodstream, completing the lifecycle. See a graphic of the heartworm lifecycle in dogs.
Special Care During Heartworm Disease Treatment
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.
While heartworm disease can be life-threatening, there are effective treatment options for established heartworm infections, and strict rest during the treatment period is critical to recovery.
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.
Stage 3: By stage three of heartworms in dogs, the symptoms of the disease will be very noticeable and have a big impact on your dog's health. Dogs continue to cough and experience fatigue after exercise, may be reluctant to exercise at all, and can have trouble breathing.
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.
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.
Additionally, even though melarsomine is highly effective, a single course of treatment may not completely clear all dogs of infection (the American Heartworm Society protocol calls for three separate injections of melarsomine.
Swollen Belly
This is because the presence of heartworms can result in fluid accumulation in the belly by obstructing blood flow in the arteries that supply the liver and other organs. The dog may appear to have a rounded or bloated stomach, and it may also be uncomfortable or in pain.
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.
After diagnosis, the first order of business is to limit your pet's physical activity—and that means more than just skipping the dog park. Even moderate exercise increases the risk of serious complications as heartworms begin to die off and break apart during treatment.
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.
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.
The goal of heartworm treatment is to kill the worms—with a medication called melarsomine—so they can be gradually absorbed by the body. This takes time. If your dog's heart rate is elevated through exercise, dead and dying heartworms can be pushed into blood vessels where they form life-threatening blockages.
Apples: Apples are great for dogs with heartworms due to their high levels of vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber. Apples in your dog's diet may help repair damaged tissue and blood vessels and support the health of their vital organs.
In more advanced stages of heartworm infections, your dog will find it hard to complete normal physical tasks like eating. If you notice weight loss and a lack appetite in your dog, then you should take him to the vet immediately to rule out heartworms and other illnesses. Shallow and rapid breathing.
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.
In most parts of the country, exposure risk is greatest during the warm months of summer and early fall.