Heartworm positive dog advice

[Debau2005]

I just took in a rescued Basset. On Tuesday I took him for his shots and a phsyical. The heartworm test came back borderline, so they took more blood and sent it off. Yesterday, it came back positive. The vet wants $600 to do the treatment, and told me that the treatment was painful and I had to keep the dog quiet and calm for 30 days. He is a 3 year old Basset, he doesn't know quiet. And I unfortunately don't have anywhere near $600!

A friend recommended this:
"Here’s some information on the background of what the vets mentioned about a class I infection and treating if one does not have the resources or cannot manage the behavior on a 24-hour basis for a month.

IVERMECTIN ONLY?

Melarsomine treatment is expensive and often out of reach for rescue groups, shelters, and many individuals. If the dog is stable (Class I) one option is to simply leave the dog on an ivermectin based preventive. This option has led to a great deal of misconception about the ability of ivermectin to kill adult heartworms. Let us lay the rumors to rest now:

Ivermectin does not kill adult heartworms.

Ivermectin does shorten the lifespan of adult heartworms.

Ivermectin does sterilize adult heartworms.

Ivermectin does kill microfilaria (keeping the dog from being a source of contagion)

Ivermectin does kill L3 and L4 larvae (preventing new infections).
This means that if one opts to treat a heartworm positive dog with an ivermectin heartworm preventive only, one can expect the dog to remain heartworm positive for a good 2 years and the heartworm disease will be progressing during that 2 years. This is not good for the dog but certainly beats getting no treatment of any kind. This approach should only be considered for patients who are Class I and may be able to withstand 2 years of heartworm infection.

The above is from this link:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_heartworm_treatment.html


AHS FAQ:
http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=14#q19"



The only other option I would have would be to give the dog up. Has anybody tried this heartworm treatment or know someone that has?

Thanks

[livetohike]

1. I had a heartworm positive dog back in 1980 so my info is

very outdated, I'm sure.

The old vet who diagnosed Smokey told us to use the preventative medicine which was given daily at the time. We were in the process of moving from SC to Houston, TX so I did as this vet said. As soon as we moved to Houston, I found a new vet who said that the preventative medicine did nothing for the heartworm infestation and could kill a dog if continued. I don't even know what the vet treated Smokey with, but we had to keep him quiet (leash walking only and don't get him agitated) for 30 days while the worms died. The danger was the dead worms could cause a blood clot of the brain or heart if the dog was not kept quiet. Smokey was less than a year old at the time. He recovered nicely though.

I'm sorry this isn't too helpful. I hope you can find a way to get the correct treatment.

[flvegan]

2. First of all, poster

Thank you. Thank you for taking this dog in.

Secondly, both your vet and your friend may be incorrect.

See, if you have a heartworm positive dog, then it's possible to run out the gestation of the parasites in question.

Treat that dog with the Ivermec, and the heartworm growth hits a wall.

I have successfully, on a number of instances treated a heartworm positive dog like this.

A heartworm positive dog, if he/she is strong, will be fine if treated correctly. Ivermec is just a fancy name for what we treat them with every month.

[Debau2005]

6. Thank you!

I spoke to a friend that has several bassets, he also recommended this. He knows my dog and said that he is not coughing, he is in great shape and he is only 3-4 years old.

How did you get a prescription for the Ivermec? Is that the same as Heartgard? I can get it online, but would like to keep a vet involved if possible.

I have a 15 year old Cocker Spaniel, that has a second recurrence of cancer. We think that he has 5-6 weeks left before we have to let him go. This basset has been helping me deal with the impending lose of my beloved Cocker. Besides he is just funny. I have never had a hound. He is a true clown, and I want him to be healthy and around for as long as possible.

flvegan, Thanks for the advice! I enjoy your posts!

[flvegan]

8. Yes, it's the same.

The idea behind the heartworm monthly treatment is to kill the young 'uns. The older parasites will die, regardless. If you keep the infant parasites in check, the old ones will die and the problem is solved.

If I were in your shoes, I would treat the dog like this over the long term. I've also done the big-time heartworm solution and watched dogs suffer and come close to death. It's a horrible treatment. If needed, it's a life-saver, and I'd never tell someone not to do it. However, if a dog is young and strong, and that dog isn't so far along that a year-long treatment will be okay, I go with this.

Keep your vet VERY much involved. He/she knows best. Discuss the options.

Thanks for the kudos.

[blondie58]

3. oh, how sad

FIrst off, thank you for taking him. It is a special person who can take in a rescue animal. I know nothing about heartworm, but I wanted to urge you to post this over on the PETS group, also. There are so many knowledgeable people there that might be able to help, also.

Good luck.

[peacebuzzard]

4. Ivermectin is used as a prevention method

and as Fivegan stated above is an ingredient in the formulas available commercially for the monthly dose of prevention.

I have used the original ivermectin in its pure form which I personally dilute at home because I have so many animals to give the prevention to every month. The original formula was designed for large animals: cattle and horses. The dog must be heartworm negative in order to give the prevention to or it can be lethal. Vets will not recommend this method because this horse wormer has to be seriously diluted to give to small animals.

Your vet sound pricey. I would certainly look around and check on the breakdown of office visit, treatment and boarding. I recently adopted a rescue and the shelter charged me $150.00 for the heartworm treatment. My vet would have charged the same plus days of boarding. Ivermectin in pure form is lethal and needs to be administered by vets if used in the treatment of heartworms. I know they did this 25 years ago when the treatment methods for heartworms first started. Currently other meds are administered by vets for the heartworm treatment but all of these meds requires the boarding of the animal because they make the dog very very sick. One vet explained to me that in order to kill the adult heartworm, the dose almost brings the dog to "near death". Post hospitalization, your dog will certainly need to be monitored for about a month. He will need to be confined, even at home. The dogs that I had undergo the heartworm treatment had to be confined to a small room or cage and walked on a leash until given the green light by the vet.

I also rescued a basset 10 years ago that was a pile of bones and heartworm positive. She had to be rehabilitated and regain strength before my vet at the time would do the procedures on her. She is a 12 year old cantankerous boss of the pack around here now.

That is her in the middle.

If you need any further info, let me know. I hope I can post this successfully this time, I had already prepared this post once before and it disappeared because of some background installation I was doing.

Oh, and congratulations on your rescue work with the sweet little basset. Don't be dismayed by the 600 bucks. I think you can find a better price somewhere. I would check shelters and ask them who they recommend. Your vet is way out on the pricing. Where are you located?

[Debau2005]

7. Love the pic!

Her ears are hysterical. Does she trip over them? Mine does and they aren't near that length.

I live in North Fulton County, in the Metro Atlanta area. It is full of million dollar homes, and the local businesses do tend to price accordingly. The vet I first took him to was a local vet, I had used once before. It was not my regular vet. I needed to get my Cocker Spaniel seen quickly, and they could see me the day I called. I have decided to look around for someone else, even if I have to drive more of a distance.

Here are some pics of Bo, the Basset:
http://picasaweb.google.com/debau90/Bo

[peacebuzzard]

9. most certainly check around. Atlanta says it all

that town is going to be a rip off if it can.
My searches have found that office visits vary so much in price from "0" dollars to a "100". Some of the good old country vets will charge for procedures only. And many will give discounts for rescues ....Call rescue groups in your area and start with them on the questions and mention your Bo, the rescue.

I love the pics of Bo. What a cute photo bug. My basset old girl(calendar girl) has been crying for me to get up for an hour now. I am trying to sleep in a little this morning but she doesn't like my change of routine. You see, I am her total entertainment package, the doorman, (even though she has a doggy door...she prefers for me to open it) the cook, etc.

Best wishes for a long happy life for Bo, from Bella. (and yes, her ears are always in the way and dragging on the ground. I don't mind it so much here in the house & yard but when I go to cities with her it freaks me out when she has to drag her ears on the filthy sidewalks. I have to wash her ears daily. I have seen some homemade bonnets for Bassets and would like to find a link to one of them for her!)



PS I only wash her ears daily when we travel to cities. Goodness knows I don't have time for that every day as I have a pack of rescues here and it is minimum dose for all so I can get most of everything done!

[peacebuzzard]

5. on a post note

If you decide that treatment on your budget is impossible, I wouldn't worry too much at this time. The pooch has a warm and safe place and you could attempt what fivegan suggested, or just calmly with time check around on prices for the total erradication treatment. Heartworm positive is not an immediate death sentence, and the puppy has many happy moments ahead of him in your care.

And thanks for what you do and your concern for the little one.!!!!!

on edit: Reviewing your post and the statements about the first test results as "borderline" and the second result as "positive" for me those results throw the whole diagnosis as a case where the infestation, if there, would be in the medium range. The worm infestation may not have reached the mature stage and lodged in the heart yet. It is a curious test result. Is the pooch coughing at all? In the advanced stages there is noticeable hacking, coughing and breathing difficulties. I had a dog at that stage once and he was treated successfully with the clinical procedure.