Heartworm treatment costs vary significantly, averaging $500 to $1,100, but potentially reaching thousands, depending on severity, size, and location, involving medications, tests (X-rays, echo), antibiotics, and pain relief. Prevention is far cheaper, costing roughly $100-$250 annually, making it the most effective and affordable strategy against this serious disease, which has no approved cure for cats.
Key takeaways: Heartworm treatment for dogs typically costs between $500 to $6,000.
Yearly heartworm prevention injection:
31kg to 40kg – $199. 41kg to 50kg – $214. 51kg to 60kg – $240. 61kg to 70kg – $268.
If you can't afford heartworm treatment for your pet, here are some options to consider. You can contact local animal shelters or non-profit organizations that may offer financial assistance for veterinary care. Also, talk to your veterinarian about setting up a payment plan or negotiating the cost of treatment.
There isn't a natural cure for heartworm in dogs, except the death of the dog. 'Natural' preventatives in common use for parasitic worms don't work on heartworm. Once a dog has heartworm, it will eventually die unless the condition is effectively treated by a vet.
How long can a dog live with heartworms? Dogs are able to live for years with this parasite, however, their condition will continuously worsen. It's a dangerous disease overall, which is why some people have even described untreated heartworms as the “slow kill.”
Anecdotal evidence suggests that herbs such as garlic, black walnut and wormwood, and the homeopathic heartworm nosode, may actually prevent as well as treat infection. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to find substantive proof that these therapies can reliably and safely prevent or treat infection or disease.
5 Signs Your Dog May Have Heartworm Disease
If the test is clear, your pet can be put on preventative heartworm medication to ensure an infection won't reoccur. Most vets sell monthly tablets, but you could also opt for a heartworm prevention shot that, according to PetMD, runs anywhere from $50 to $350 annually.
Not all dogs with heartworm disease develop caval syndrome. However, if left untreated, heartworm disease will progress and damage the dog's heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, eventually causing death.
The truth is, less aggressive doses of chemotherapy are used in animals than in people. This minimizes adverse side effects. Although chemotherapy in animals is typically not curative, when used appropriately, it can improve the quality and quantity of life for the dog being treated.
There are few, if any, early signs of disease when a dog, cat or ferret is infected with heartworms, so detecting their presence with a heartworm test administered by a veterinarian is important. The test requires just a small blood sample from your pet, and it works by detecting the presence of heartworm proteins.
Abaxis Heartworm Test Kit easily detects the heartworm antigen in your pet's serum, plasma or whole blood. This rapid, at home heartworm test for dogs and cats is highly sensitive and provides fast and easy-to-read results in just 10 minutes.
We feel that heartworm positive dogs can still have a high quality of life as long as they are properly cared for by an adopter that is willing to go the extra mile to save a life. A separate treatment is used to kill heartworm microfilaria. A heartworm preventative has been given to your dog to kill the microfilaria.
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.
Chronic Heart and Lung Damage
Over time, this leads to pulmonary hypertension and congestive heart failure. These are not temporary effects—many dogs with advanced heartworm disease are left with permanent heart or lung damage, even after successful treatment.
The average dog heartworm treatment cost ranges from $500 - $1,100 depending on the dog's size, the stage of the disease and the vet bills. The typical treatment protocol includes blood tests and x-rays to measure the heartworm infection load, sedatives, pain medication, and antibiotics for killing the parasites.
There Can Be Risks of Complications from Treatment
For this reason, your pet will be closely monitored while she is receiving the melarsomine injections. Some of the side effects and complications that can arise as a result of heartworm treatment include: Soreness and swelling at the injection site.
Insurers treat heartworm prevention as routine care because it's monthly medications that prevent infection, so accident and illness policies don't cover it. You can still get coverage by buying an optional wellness plan that includes heartworm prevention medications.
Myth #3: If my pet has heartworms, I will see them in her feces. Although many worm types, such as roundworms and tiny hookworms, are shed in your pet's feces, heartworms do not live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and are not found in feces.
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.
The cough associated with heartworm disease in dogs is often likened to the sound of a goose honking. If your dog tends to get into coughing fits after activity or eating, and if those coughs sound harsh and honk-like, then she may have heartworm disease or another heart related concern.
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.
One popular option is the use of pumpkin seeds. These seeds contain a compound called cucurbitacin that can paralyze worms, making it easier for your dog's system to expel them. Simply grind the seeds and mix them into your dog's food. It's important to ensure that you use raw, unsalted seeds for the best results.
Yes. While treatment includes giving several different medications over a period of weeks and months, dogs infected with heartworms can be successfully treated. It's critical that dogs undergoing treatment be kept quiet and calm from the time of diagnosis until several months after the treatment has ended.