# Don't forget Heartworm



## SCRMG

It’s not easy to admit when you have made a mistake, and even harder to admit when you have made a huge mistake, but I am typing this now in hopes of keeping someone else from making the same mistake I did.

I took my pack matriarch, Mitzi, in to the vet today to be spayed. Given the concerns about her age and health, as I was going through the pre-surgery checklist I opted to elect for the full blood panel. The question below that was “do you want to have your dog tested for heartworm”. I have taken several dogs in for one surgery or another before, and I have seen that question before. Heartworm is just not very common in this area, the vets hardly push it. Well for whatever reason, today I checked yes to that question.

A few hours later, the vet called and I learned that Mitzi has a substantial heartworm infection. The vet informed me that if she had gone ahead with the surgery, there was a good chance that Mitzi would have died on the table. We began to treat the heartworm instead. 

Mitzi had the first of a series of several shots today, and is currently at the vet‘s office for observation. The next 10 days will be critical, as the adult worms begin to die and enter her bloodstream. She will need two more shots next month. She will have to be kept extremely quiet through the course of this treatment, no exercise. Her chance for survival is about 65-70%. Mitzi is a fighter, and I am hopeful that she can win this battle. She has a better chance this afternoon, than she had this morning. Her chance for survival untreated would have been 0%.

She very likely had this infestation before she came to live with us. I know the previous owner had talked about some of his dogs just dropping dead (heart failure maybe?). That does not excuse me for not having tested her sooner. If I had checked “yes” to that question when she was being sewed up from a fight with a cougar, well, her chances for survival would have been better. Looking back is counter productive, and all I can do is move forward. I have several appointments to bring dogs in over the next few weeks and have them tested. Everyone will be going on the Heartguard Plus (I may as well take care of hookworms and roundworms while I am at it).

I’ve said all of that to say this, I know a lot of people do not take their LGDs to the vet. Regular vaccinations, and wormers can be purchased and administered without a vet. Rabies vaccinations can be taken care of while a vet is over to treat another animal, or at a clinic. Please, do not make my mistake and overlook heartworm. Get your dogs tested, and put them on the preventative. I did the math today, it will cost about $8 per dog per month to use Heartguard (there are some generics out there that are cheaper but lack the added drug for the additional worms. There is also a six month shot, but I have met too many vets who recommend against it to trust it). I can give a dog this preventative for about 12 years before it will equal the cost of treating a single infestation! That doesn’t include the cost you will incur putting the dog on preventative for the rest of it’s life after that (if it survives). I made a mistake, but I will learn from it. I hope someone out there may also learn from my mistake. It only takes a single mosquito bite. Now all I can do is hope that Mitzi recovers and none of my other dogs have heartworm.


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## Dayna

I hear ya! I come from a remote area of a state that has no heartworm (SE Alaska) to a state that has rampant heartworm (Hawaii) and I've had a HUGE learning curve about parasites and such. I've never wormed or given any sort of heartworm or flea meds in my life, and now here I have to do it monthly.

Those things scare the poopies out of me. I hope that your girl is going to be okay. Please keep us updated.


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## goatiegirl

Thanks for your post. I usually start the summer with a vet visit and test, but I eventually forget or just quit giving the heartguard somewhere along the line.....I will remember your post and try to be a better dog owner this year for sure. I love my Molly dog too much not to!!! Here she is sleeping with our first baby goat. I swear she knew how sick she was before we did. She followed that girl around whereever she went like her protector......


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## sbaker

Living in south Louisiana, if your dog is not on a monthly preventative they WILL have heartworms. I had one who had a pretty bad load- He had severe energy loss, bad lung function etc. But, because of the cost of conventional treatment, and because of the risk of the treatment, we couldn't do it. Instead, I put him on an ivermectin/doxycycline treatment that is much easier on your dogs system, you can administer it at home, and it cost me less than $50! And, it WORKED!! He got his energy back, was able to run to the mailbox without coughing and wheezing every few seconds, and looks years younger!


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## motdaugrnds

I found this online and now cannot remember where I got it. It is not my work but belongs to another.

QUOTING THE OTHER'S INFORMATION:
CANINE HEARTWORMS: (Start preventive measure "before" they get it.)
Use Ivermectin 1% injectible cattle wormer (Can purchase without Rx.)
Give it orally at 1/10 of 1cc for each 10 pounds of body weight. The syringes used are 3cc and marked off in tenths of 1cc.
Draw out 2cc of Ivomec. Then inject what is needed into an empty syringe (without a needle) with the plunger puled down on the 1cc mark. Dribble it into the empty one until have proper amount. Have a few ounces of soft drink or orange juice in an open container. Draw in 1-1/2 to 2cc of the juice to mix with the Ivomec. Put figer over end of the syringe and shake up, which makes it taste better. Place hand across dog's nose with thmb on one side and fingers on other. Then put pressure on my thumb and fingers to force open the dog's mouth. Then tip its head up and squirt the contents of the syringe in the "roof" of its mouth. Finally, close the mouth and "HOLD IT CLOSED UNTIL THE DOG SWALLOWS". This is the only correct way to orally administer all types of liquid medications to dogs so that you do not accidentally squirt the liquid into the dog's windpipe and/or lungs.
Do this treatment once each month. Ivomec kills all those little microfilariae (larva) in the bloodstream so they never have a chance to mature into heartworms. Microfilariae will circulate in the blood for more than 30 days before attaching to the heart; so if you give this prevention on schedule, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY for your dog to get heartworms. Even if a drug is labeled as safe for prenant and/or lactating bitches! Personally, I don't recommend giving any kind of medications to a pregant bitch unless the life of that bitch is in grave danger; however, I will give medications to lactating bitches. The difference is the pups are already born and not in their developing/forming stages in the woumb.
The cost is very minimal for each dog. If the 50cc bottle of Ivomec costs you $40, this is 80 cents per cc. Given 12 months in a row, an 80 lb dog will take 12 cc per year (2-1/2cc per year for a 20 lb dog which is cost of $2 that year). The shelf life for the Ivomec is about 3 years if kept in refrigerator. Therefore, this method is feasible to use even if you only have one dog; and it is by far the cheapest and most effective prevention against heartworms.


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## goatgirl132

goatiegirl said:


> Thanks for your post. I usually start the summer with a vet visit and test, but I eventually forget or just quit giving the heartguard somewhere along the line.....I will remember your post and try to be a better dog owner this year for sure. I love my Molly dog too much not to!!! Here she is sleeping with our first baby goat. I swear she knew how sick she was before we did. She followed that girl around whereever she went like her protector......


that picture is way to sweet!

its amazing how dogs can since things before we can!


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## Goats Rock

Be careful of Ivomec with the collie dogs! Our Sheltie, yrs. ago had heartworms. We had never heard of it. We lost our little Ginger! My dogs get tested faithfully and get their
meds the first of every month!


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## Texas.girl

Monday on my way home from town we stopped off at a country corner store to use the restroom. The owner sees us all the time and so sort of knows us. She asked me if I wanted a dog. A chow mix had just shown up a few days earlier. After we checked the dog out we put her in the truck. Yesterday went to the vet. Heartworm is always tested for in this area and thankfully she was negative. She does have hookworms and whipworms, so having to treat for that, but otherwise this 54.6 pound (at most 2 year old) dog is healthy. Because she makes no effort to go in the house and was dumped in a very rural area, I did fear she might have heartworm. So what a relief when she tested neg. She will need to be spayed though.


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## SCRMG

That's great news on the stray. Since my original post, I have had all my dogs tested. Two of my LGDs are positive, two are too young for adult worms, and the two house dogs are negative. The four who are clear are on preventative, the one who I originally posted about has had her first of three treatments, and the other positive dog will begin her treatment when the vet gets more meds in (it's uncommon enough here that my first dog took all the supplies they have on hand). It's an expensive lesson, but I've learned a lot. EVERY state in the US has had reported cases of heartworm.


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