Question:
Hello,

Our 10 year old dog has hearworms. We have had him on preventative all of his life. The drug failed and the company is paying for his treatment.

He has no symptoms -- I feel sick about bringing him in for treatment tomorrow. Part of me almost hopes that his liver and/or kidney studies will not permit the treatment.

He is not an active dog, so keeping him from exercising is not a problem -- however, he gets SO excited when we get home from work. How are we to keep him calm for four weeks? I am terrified that he will suffer complications because of his love for us.

Our vet does not advise sedatives, but I have heard that Benedryl may be helpful. Any advice?

Worried sick in North Carolina,
Bon
:(

Answer:
My dog also had heartworms when I got her. She was only 2 yrs old, but the treatment was VERY hard on her.

Your dog is 10. You need to find out how many heartworms there are - just a few or too many to count. Since she must have had a heartworm test last year, there shouldn't be too many of them.

If there are only a few, I *personally* would opt to treat just the microfilaria with Heartguard, and not go through the treatment to kill the adult worms. The chance of her dying from this treatment is real.

I"m basing this advice on your dog's age. If she were young and otherwise healthy, I would suggest the complete treatment.

If you opt to kill only the baby worms, you need not keep her quiet . This is recommended only for the killing of the adult worms.

Answer:
LR what treatment did you use with Chloe on the adult worms?

Answer:
According to our vet, he has a very light load -- he is healthly and has no symptoms.

Do you know the lifespan of an adult heartworm? Could it be possible for him to live out the remainder of his life with the few he has? These are questions I have had since learning about the disease. I would much prefer making a decision to put him to sleep years from now, rather than inflicting this torturous treatment, only for him to die from it, and die in pain.

Thank you for your response. Everything in me is fighting this treatment.

Answer:
The lifespan of adult heartworms is from 3 - 5 years. If the load is light, and your dog shows no symptoms at all, I would opt for killing the microfilaria only.

A few adult heartworms will do little damage, and I would leave them there. The risks associated with the treatment for a dog that age are too great for ME to risk. Of course the decision is up to you.

I saw how my strong young dog suffered during treatment and I would not inflict this on an old dog. The biggest risk comes from the dying heartworms breaking up and entering the bloodstream or lungs and causing death to the dog.

Has your dog been on preventative all year round? In your climate that might be advisable in the future to prevent reinfection.

Luba, the drug used was Immitricide.

Answer:
I don't think you should put the dog down. If the dog is only 10 he or she could still live another 5 years at least, depending on the breed. Could the heartworms die off, or would they multiply?

Answer:
wow interesting (((Bon)))

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