Dog is heartworm positive

[kruss]

So I found out today that my dog is heartworm positive. He takes Trifexis once a month as a preventative. He is almost a year and a half. My vet said heartworm treatment couldn't be done on him in the summer months bc we live in the south and it's too hot(he is an outside only dog) And if I were to go forth with treatment I wouldn't be able to let him exercise while he was on the treatment bc any raise in blood pressure could throw a worm somewhere causing a clog in blood flow. The problem is he is a very active dog even when he is in his kennel he is running and jumping so this would be an issue. The vet said I could continue with the preventative and eventually the adult worms would die but the damage would already be done. I've heard scary things about heartworms...anybody been through this? Was your dog super active like mine?

 

[CedarAcres]

We adopted a dog and on our first vet visit, we found out she was heartworm positive. We waited about six months or so to treat her because of other health issues that needed to be resolved first. It is true about the activity being dangerous. It was very scary because she kept trying to run and we had to stop her. We just watched her closely during the time she couldn't be active. I'm guessing that our dog had heartworm for awhile before we got her, and it really didn't seem like it affected her in anyway. Her treatment was successful too. She was an outdoor dog for her whole life until we got her, and we kept her outside for awhile after we adopted her as well, but when we treated her for heartworm we brought her into the house (which ended up being permanent) to be able to monitor her better. Sorry you're dealing with this!

 

[kruss]

Thanks. I'm just upset at the whole situation. Give him heartworm preventative every month and he still gets them? So sad...I would love to bring him inside during treatment if we go through with it but my family is allergic to dog dander so that's impossible. He would have to stay in his pen which he hates so he would be literally bouncing off the sides trying to find a way out. I wish there were an easy fix for this :/ poor baby has been through enough in his short life....I adopted him from the humane society at 6 weeks old and he came down with parvo less than a week after I brought him home and stayed and the vet office for a week before he was well enough to come home. It was touch and go for a bit.

 

[CedarAcres]

Awww

well if bringing him inside isn't an option, can you bring him on more frequent (obviously slow) walks? If he tends to go crazy on walks, start working with him daily on behaving well on the leash (walking right next to you at your pace, no pulling). I've found a comfortable harness works well to stop pulling & gives you more control. So once he has treatment, maybe going on multiple long slow walks throughout the day will be enough for him. I'd try to establish a calm walking routine before he gets treatment, so nothing "changes" for him once he gets the shots. If he knows he gets to go on a few walks each day outside his kennel, maybe he'll look forward to them and be calmer knowing he gets to go on the walks if that makes sense. Can you also start giving him one of those kong toys with food in it? It keeps our dog busy for hours sometimes, so if you give him one when he is alone it can keep him mentally stimulated so he's not bored & going crazy from that. Our dog that we adopted was supposedly on heartworm preventative as well and she still had it, so they must not work 100%.

 

[aprille218]

Please let your neighbors know that your dog is positive and theirs should be tested and on a preventative. Your dog can spread the infection to others through mosquitoes unfortunately. Some vets will continue to give preventative until treatment usually at a higher dose than usual. Some give aspirin to the dogs to thin the blood too. I'd look into getting a different type of heartworm preventative too and making sure you give it year round.
Aprille

 

[res]

Does Trifexis not have the guarantee that Novartis and Merial have? With their heartworm products, if you have given the monthly doses as directed under the care of a vet, and followed the product protocol, they will cover the cost of treatment? Elanco is sorta new to the heartworm preventative world, but they might (or *should*) have the same guarantee. When I moved to MD, I left my last vet job behind, and I cannot remember how Elanco handled positives while on their Rx. I have personally seen both Novartis and Merial cover cost of treatment with proof of consistent HW preventative purchase, HW tests, and routine vet care.

As far as the dog being hyper after treatment, there are affordable sedatives, both prescription and OTC, that can be given to keep him calm.

Boarding at the vet is another alternative.... You might have to shop around for the right vet, though. The ones I have worked for have done *medical* boarding such as this at a drastically reduced rate - usually $5 per day or so. It does add up, but it is priceless to those whose situations require it.

 

[kruss]

My vet is supposed to be contacting them about paying for his treatment since he has been given it every month even in winter so I'm hoping they will pay. He also had roundworms which the pill also supposedly covers but we have treated those now so maybe we are finished with that problem at least

 

[MedleyHart]

We just adopted a German Shephard and he tested positive today. The vet is telling us we have 2 options: 1) the expensive treatment where we will have to keep him kenneled and inactive for a month and then have a second treatment and repeat. 2) put him on the preventitive which will keep him from getting anymore and over a couple of years the heart worms he does have will die out. Option 2 is the only option. There is no way to keep this high energy dog calm for a month.

 

[Folly's place]

Your 'second option' is no longer recommended, in part because it doesn't prevent the spread of the parasite, and helps develop resistance to the preventative. It's a very poor second choice here!
@res gives good advice!
Have these dogs treated, and have the best outcome possible.
Mary

 

[Suedan]

We just adopted a German Shephard and he tested positive today. The vet is telling us we have 2 options: 1) the expensive treatment where we will have to keep him kenneled and inactive for a month and then have a second treatment and repeat. 2) put him on the preventitive which will keep him from getting anymore and over a couple of years the heart worms he does have will die out. Option 2 is the only option. There is no way to keep this high energy dog calm for a month.

Talk to your vet about medicine that you guys can give at home to keep him calm. Heartworm cause a lot of damage. Did they take chest xrays?