Not every aspiring pet owner is equipped to provide the extra care a special-needs pet requires; however, with proper treatment, heartworm-positive pets can be excellent candidates for adoption.
Dogs with heartworm disease can live high-quality lives as long as they are given appropriate care. After completing treatment and following your veterinarian's recommenda- tions on heartworm disease testing and prevention, the chances of any long-term effects are very low.
Dogs with no signs or mild signs of heartworm disease, such as cough or exercise intolerance, have a high success rate with treatment. More severe disease can also be successfully treated, but the possibility of complications is greater.
Heartworm disease causes lasting damage to the heart, lungs and arteries, and can affect the dog's health and quality of life long after the parasites are gone.
After treatment, the adult worms die and are carried by the blood to the lungs where they lodge in small blood vessels. There they decompose and are absorbed by the body over a period of several months. Reactions to the drugs are not uncommon, and there is always some risk involved in treating a dog for heartworms.
There is some risk involved in treating dogs with heartworms, although fatalities are rare. "A new drug is available that does not have as many side effects, allowing successful treatment of more than 95% of dogs with heartworms."
While 100% of adult worms might be dead at the 6-month point, residual heartworm antigen in circulation is detectable for a time and could lead to an invalid test result. Waiting an additional 3 months allows time for the antigen to be cleared from the dog.
Even if heartworm infection is treated, we all know it does serious, permanent damage to the body. This in-depth look at that damage will renew your commitment to consistent prevention recommendations for your veterinary patients.
It is important to know that the heartworm test can remain positive for four-six months following treatment even if all worms were killed, so review the time line of your dog's therapy.
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.
Myth: Heartworm disease is contagious for pets.
Truth: You should be concerned if we diagnose one of your pets with heartworm disease, but you do not need to quarantine your infected pet. Heartworms must go through a mosquito to develop into adults, so heartworm-positive pets are safe to be around.
Treatment Requires a Vet's Help
Once a positive test is confirmed, our veterinarians (in alignment with the American Heartworm Society) recommend treating adult heartworm infections with 3 treatments (injections) of a drug called melarsomine.
Signs of heartworm disease may include a mild persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, fatigue after moderate activity, decreased appetite, and weight loss. As heartworm disease progresses, pets may develop heart failure and the appearance of a swollen belly due to excess fluid in the abdomen.
Lethargy and reluctance to exercise are common signs described in dogs with advanced heartworm disease. If your pet loses interest in going for walks or is fatigued after activity, it may be a sign of heartworm disease. Some dogs have a decreased appetite and, as a result, lose weight.
Is heartworm painful? - Animal Hospital of Statesville. It's not painful, per se, but they feel sick, uncomfortable, and they're likely having difficulty breathing. They're not perfusing very well, so they don't feel well.
Finally, frequent vomiting usually goes along with heartworms. Dogs who cough often may cause themselves to vomit as a result of their extensive coughing. Some dogs may feel nauseated from their heartworms as well, and may vomit often just because they feel so sick with the disease.
Average Cost of Treatment. The average cost of heartworm treatment for dogs is often around $1,000. However, it can range from $500 to $1,100 or even more depending mainly on the size of your dog, veterinary bills, and the stage of the disease.
In general, however, it is thought that heartworms can significantly shorten a dog's life expectancy. For the most part, treatment will not kill the worms—it only decreases their lifespan. This means that an infected dog's lifespan will be reduced by around 6 years or less depending on the severity of the infection.
The American Animal Hospital Association places the average cost of preventative heartworm treatment for dogs at $5-$15 per month, and the cost of treating a dog already diagnosed with heartworm at $400-$1,000. With both prevention and treatment, costs typically increase with the weight of the dog.
Most dogs can be safely leash-walked during the treatment recovery period and providing appropriate chew toys can help relieve some of that stored up physical energy.
What health criteria must my dog meet? We require all dogs who stay here to be current on the usual core vaccinations, as well as receiving a vaccination for Bordatella (kennel cough). Your dog must also be protected against heartworm and fleas, with no signs of parasite issues in his fecal sample.
Proheart SR12 heartworm prevention yearly injection:
Up to 20kg – $141.00. Up to 35kg – $186.75. Up to 50kg – $232.50. Heartworm test – $67.50.
Heartworm disease can interfere with heart function and cause inflammation within the lungs. With these conditions, a dog is likely to cough and gag in an attempt to clear its airway, but that won't help.
Heartworm causes a dry, persistent loud cough in dogs because of the parasite's ability to travel throughout the body. As the parasites travel, they find themselves in dogs' lungs, which creates a blockage and makes it difficult for your dog to breathe.
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.