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 Last Comedian Standing 
Posts: 10919
  
Location: South Texas | I am looking at rescueing a dog from the pound but she is Heart Worm positive. the pound has a vet who provides the treatment for $150 instead of the usual $600.... Supposed to do pills for 30 days and then 2 injections that supposedly are really hard on the dog for about 2-4 weeks and they have to be crated from mininal activity after the injections so not to be too active.......Justbsort of wondering what to expect. They say the injections are the only way to kill the heartworms |
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Queen Bean of Ponyland
Posts: 24953
 
Location: WYOMING | I have had one done that way and it wasnt too bad. He lived a long life after that. I have also gotten one that the rescue put on ivomec cow wormer monthly and the worms died off overtime. I use the ivomec for heartworm control in my dogs but some breeds, long hair types, are sensitive to it. Both worked fine but for $150 I would go the vet route. |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7550
Location: In The Land of Cotton | I got mine from the rescue heart worm positive. I treated her and it killed her. Still gets to me. I was going the right thing and it didn't work. I understand though mine was an exception. It killed her in her 5-6th week, when a huge bunch of worms died off at once. She was kept crated, walked on a leash, she was my baby. Most of me has to say, when it is their time, it is their time. It just hurts.
However, I will do it again getting one from a rescue. And, if it needs to be treated, I will do that too. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | the vet can treat successfully usually |
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Location: Friendswood, Texas | My husband brought a stray home who was positive. Our vet treated her with the injections and she also had to be crated with minimal activity for several weeks. She lived eight more years and was one of the greatest dogs ever. She sure took a piece of our hearts with her when she died last year. If you can afford the $150, I would go that route. Our bill was about $200 nine years ago and the vet gave us a break because we were willing to take on a rescue. It was worth every penny. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2154
Location: USA | I had a dog that tested heart worm positive. One vet wanted to do the treatment. I talked to my regular vet who said no way. Said the treatment is too harsh on their system. My dog didn't have any obvious signs of heartworms but due to an injury, the first vet ran the test as a routine. Since you have to put them on heart worm pills anyway, my vet suggested to put her on the pill and he said that we couldn't test her for two years as it would take that long for the microfilaria(?) to leave her system. Two years later, we tested her and she was heart worm free. She was probably 3 at the time and lived to be 16 years old.
A lot of vets do not like this way of treating. However, I've told one other vet about it and he agreed. Said it is safer, cheaper and the dog can't get worse and will not be able to infect any other dogs either. |
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 The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | My husbands good walker coonhound came up positive after being on an ivomec heartworm medication for 2 years (all her life). We did the injection but there were no pills. We put her in a horse stall to keep her quiet, did the treatment and now she's 7 and a great hunting dog and wonderful pet. She was always a kennel dog. We put her in the horse stall so she couldnt see anything that would get her excited and want to jump up and down. |
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Last Comedian Standing
Posts: 10919
Location: South Texas | Thanks what you all are saying is about the same as I have read but I was interested in knowing from people first hand.......I think I am going to go ahead with the vet route and hope it works.....she is young and has no symptoms but they tested her at the pound.......I cant remember what test they said they used but one was neg and the more accurate test was positive.......so maybe not to bad.......she is a some sort of Lasa or Shi mix or maybe full blooded who know .....she was a nappy mess when they got her put happy and fat.......they trimmed all the nappy hair off so now she is pretty much slick......lol.....but she is happy healthy acting and is fat........thanks again for the input
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 564
Location: Texas | I did. The important thing is to keep them quiet and confined for as long as your vet tells you. I was lucky enough to be able to keep mine in a kennel at the vet I worked for. He was fine and lived a long happy life. |
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 Member
Posts: 31
Location: Florida | Yes I have, I worked for a vet and actually adopted a dog that someone turned in there. She ended up being HW positive, no symptoms. I of course got a discount, so I went with the entire treatment- Xrays, 30 days of Doxycycline, Ultrasound, and after 30 days the beginning of 2 injections. This was the worst part for my little 2 yr old 9 lb chihuahua/terrier mix. The injection has to be given deep into the back muscles so she was very sore for a few days, but we were given pain meds to help. (Be careful picking them up at this time, the sweetest dogs will let you know quick when they are in pain!) Also crating her when I was gone, and only letting her out to potty and telling her she couldn't play with my other dog was hard :( But the time (about 2 months total) does pass before you know it, and 6 months later she re-tested negative. Watching her play and run like crazy across the farm now was totally worth it all!!! Even with my discount I had over $400 in it. I would definitely say go for it for $150. Ive seen the untreated ones, and the couple months of restraint and a little soreness is nothing in comparison... |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | Did they give you any indication of how heavily infested she might be? That would weigh heavily into my decision. I treated a heavily infested one the way you're describing and it did not work. The dog ended up dying. I had one that was light positive. We just treated him with preventative for about a year and a half and he got through it without any complications.
The first pills will kill the female worms, and cut the worm population in half. You can do this even if you decide to treat slowly over the course of a year. The shots kill off the rest. |
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 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | snazzy - 2014-04-16 9:23 AM
Thanks what you all are saying is about the same as I have read but I was interested in knowing from people first hand.......I think I am going to go ahead with the vet route and hope it works.....she is young and has no symptoms but they tested her at the pound.......I cant remember what test they said they used but one was neg and the more accurate test was positive.......so maybe not to bad.......she is a some sort of Lasa or Shi mix or maybe full blooded who know .....she was a nappy mess when they got her put happy and fat.......they trimmed all the nappy hair off so now she is pretty much slick......lol.....but she is happy healthy acting and is fat........thanks again for the input
I had a blue heeler I raised that tested heartworm positive and the vet gave her the injection and it leaked out from the vein (I think the injection was given improperly) into the muscle (at least that's how the vet explained it) and she died a slow and torturous death wasting away from the (basically poison) medicine that was supposed to kill the heartworms, but instead killed my dog. I swore I'd never treat another dog for heartworms that way. I, too, give the ivomec. Death by heartworms couldn't be any worse than what I did to this dog trying to do the right thing. It still haunts me. It also cost me $600. I wanted to sue the vet that did that to her, but it would have cost more than it was worth. He's still practicing, too, last I heard. :( |
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 Keep Your Eye on the Prize
Posts: 1080
Location: Vicksburg MS | My husky was treated with the two shot method successfully. I didn't keep him crated but he lived inside for the most part anyhow. Going the ivermec route could have been an option but the vet who diagnosed and the vet who treated considered his infestation too high and back then, the shots weren't rediculously costly at the vet I had him treated at. ($300 at diagnosing vet, $150 at treating vet so there is a big descrepancy in pricing... the $150 you've been quoted is very good and probably right at the DVM's cost these days.)
Poe was anywhere from 18 months to 3 years ( found dog, age a guesstimate) and he lived for another 7 years.
Poe's shots were deep in the loin muscle near his hip bones, not in a vein. I was with John and held Poe still while he was treated. I recall John being very careful about placement, but he certainly didn't mention aiming for a vein, more like an area. He told me they'd be painful, but Poe who could be a weinie when it came to pain never even whimpered. I put an icepack on the first injection site later that evening because I thought I noticed swelling, but the second was a non event.
I have also had friends who weren't quite so lucky. Another of our BB's here lost her beloved Stafford Terrier after treatment and a childhood friend lost their Sheltie two months later when they let her loose in their yard for the first time after treatment.
Some dogs do better than others, worm loads are different, internal damage we aren't aware of... what have you.
More dogs are saved than lost but weigh your options and be hyper viligent about keeping the dog quiet for a long period after. I know it was a good 3 months if not more before I felt safe turning Poe loose to run around all willy nilly.
Back in the day they used to pull blood and look at it under a scope. It's how we did it back when I worked at a shelter eons ago. That is still a very viable method as the little suckers will be in slide sample and the vet can age them that way as well. If they are small and no adults are visable going the heartworm pill/ivermec route is perfectly fine as the heartworm life span is about 3 yrs. Heartworm tablets kill off the bebe worms and eventually the adults just die and slough off out of the dog's system. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3104
Location: Arkansas | dianeguinn - 2014-04-17 8:30 AM snazzy - 2014-04-16 9:23 AM Thanks what you all are saying is about the same as I have read but I was interested in knowing from people first hand.......I think I am going to go ahead with the vet route and hope it works.....she is young and has no symptoms but they tested her at the pound.......I cant remember what test they said they used but one was neg and the more accurate test was positive.......so maybe not to bad.......she is a some sort of Lasa or Shi mix or maybe full blooded who know .....she was a nappy mess when they got her put happy and fat.......they trimmed all the nappy hair off so now she is pretty much slick......lol.....but she is happy healthy acting and is fat........thanks again for the input
I had a blue heeler I raised that tested heartworm positive and the vet gave her the injection and it leaked out from the vein (I think the injection was given improperly ) into the muscle (at least that's how the vet explained it ) and she died a slow and torturous death wasting away from the (basically poison ) medicine that was supposed to kill the heartworms, but instead killed my dog. I swore I'd never treat another dog for heartworms that way. I, too, give the ivomec. Death by heartworms couldn't be any worse than what I did to this dog trying to do the right thing. It still haunts me. It also cost me $600. I wanted to sue the vet that did that to her, but it would have cost more than it was worth. He's still practicing, too, last I heard. : (
Diane, if it was IV, that would have been the old medication for treatment. The newer treatment is IM. Still can have complications but is much safer than the old treatment (which is no longer made). |
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 Expert
Posts: 1432
Location: Never in one place long | I haven't treated one personally but volunteer at the shelter and we have treated several dogs for heartworm. So far, I haven't seen any die from the treatment. I guess in unlikely circumstances it's possible but I'd say you have a good chance the doggy will be just fine! :) how awesome you're considering saving a dog! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 371
| are you giving horse ivermectin? and what dose do you give? how much/lb? |
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Anyone Ever Treated A Dog For Heartworms