Thinking of adopting a heartworm positive dog? Is it safe for my home?

My oldest dog was adopted with heartworms 13 yeas ago and is still doing well, so it certainly can be treated. I am attaching more information on heartworm disease below from the American Heartworm Society and a handout about treatment. https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=610 Unfortunately, there are a number of variables when it comes to heartworm treatment, so I cannot give you a price estimate, but I would recommend contacting your veterinarian to discuss a price range. Most commonly, we recommend bloodwork, urinalysis and chest x-rays, then decide on which treatment method will be best for them. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your potential new dog. The biggest issue with a heartworm positive dog is she will need strict rest throughout her treatment especially after she is given the medication to kill the adult worms. She should have x-rays of her chest as well as blood and urine testing prior to starting treatment to determine the extent of her disease. Because she will need to be kept quiet, it may make introductions with your current dog easier. She should be used to a crate coming the the shelter, so she will be able to kept separate. This will allow them both time to get used to each other. You can allow them to meet on neutral territory and keep them separate in the home until they are more comfortable with each other. Good luck!

A "low positive" may mean a low adult heartworm burden. The preventive is to kill any immature heartworm (microfilariae). The doxycyline is to kill the wolbachia bacteria. This is an organism that lives within the heartworm parasite as a symbiont. This portion of the treatment lasts 30 days after which medication is given via injection to kill adult heartworm. Treatment is outlined at the link below. https://d3ft8sckhnqim2.cloudfront.net/images/pdf/HeartwormTreatmentGuide_PetOwnerColor.pdf?1561720859

The heartworms will kill her if you don't attempt treatment. At least with the treatment there is a chance she will survive. The vet can do a "slow kill" protocol and uses the immiticide injections over a longer period of time. That is what we do here in the States when we have a dog with advanced stage heartworm disease. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes.

Biscuit is a cutie! Most pets who complete the full treatment for heartworm will live normal, healthy lives. If a pet is severely affected, it's possible it could have heart disease but these will often reverse with time. I recommend to discus the specifics of Biscuit's health with the veterinarian who is treating him. They will be able to provide the most accurate prognosis for you. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

In depends on how severe the infestation is, but with the new treatment protocol most dogs recover eventually, it may take a very long time to finish the treatment course if the dog is heavily infested and you need to be very strict with physical activity as any excess in activity may put his life in danger as long as he is not cleared of this disease.

Hello. For the most part, you want to institute a level of exercise reduction so as to decrease the strain on the heart. This should start on the day of diagnosis, & continue with even further reduced exercise when heartworm treatment is started. Once Julius has been properly treated for the heartworms, he can resume normal activity levels. Thank you.