....has a HORRIBLE abcess on his ear. I have no idea how he got this. My DS saw it bleeding and told me. The whole ear is hot and so full of infection that it is at least twice the thickness of his normal ear.:shock::ack: I can't believe it got to this point without me noticing before:? Poor fellow. Taking him in to the vet today. Jake is a beagle/lab mix with more of the lab traits I'd say. Sweetest dog ever. He is a digger though. I'm wondering if he cut his ear trying to dig under the fence and it just got infected.:-(
thanks harley. I know, hate to see them hurting. You'd love Jake. Your pic of Shelby reminds me of his face a little.
OH NO! Well, Jake's ear will be fine I think. Vet said something bit him:? but put him on antibiotics for the infection. While I was there, I had them do a heartworm test. And it came back positive:-( She told me the process for getting rid of them. Has anyone else ever had to do this? Takes 3 months to complete and is hard on the dog it sounds like. How effective is it?
Someone else should probably answer this one. We had a mix growing up that had heartworms and the vet mom & dad took him 2, injected 2 much poison in him to kill the heartworms. He died about 1 week after he came home. Dad didn't pay the vet bill - for obvious reasons.
I think I've told this before, way back in the early 80's, up in VA, our mutt got the first case of heartworms in the county. They did the arsenic treatment, and although her case was pretty advanced and she was older, she did make it through and went on to live for several more years. It was tough to keep her quiet once she started feeling better though, because you have to wait for their bodies to absorb the worms:ack: or it can give them a heart attack. At least that's what was explained to us back then.
We treat dogs every month for heartworms (at the shelter) and it is very successful but since we have our own vet it is affordable too! I know there are others on the board with personal pets with heartworms that can give you more info. How severe are the heartworms? I know that can help determine which treatment to go with. I am sorry! There seems to be a rise in the number of hw positive dogs lately. Some people dont treat for hw's in the winter for some reason, I wonder if that has anything to do with it... Good luck! I hope you find an inexpensive way to get your baby better!
Been seeing more hw + dogs myself. I thought folks only cut back flea/tick prevention in the winter (not a good idea in the South) not heartworm preventatives as well. :cry: As far as treatment, it is crucial to follow your vet's instructions perfectly. Your pup will require plenty of downtime for optimum recovery. http://www.4042.com/4042forums/showthread.php?t=9095&highlight=heartworms
Way back in the late 70s or early 80s we had a dog that got heartworms. It was the first time I had ever heard of them and we (our family) didn't know anything about prevention back then. Anyway, poor old Smokey had them so bad that he couldn't walk more than about 10 feet before he had to lie down and rest. His breathing was very labored and it was horrible to see him like that. He didn't make it through the first round of treatment. :cry: After that experience, ALL of my dogs are on preventative YEAR ROUND. Even though I was just a young teen at the time, Smokey's case was definitely a learning experience for me, and one that has stuck with me for life. I hope I never have to see another dog suffer like he did because of those nasty worms. I'm sorry to hear this about Jake. I hope it has been caught early enough so that he is able to make a full and speedy recovery!
Thanks guys. I think it must be in early stages. Vet seemed to think it was not too advanced. He has not shown any signs of it yet. He is in pretty good health otherwise so I really hope he will make it through. My kids adore him and we would all be crushed to lose him. ljk, what other treatment options are there? The vet only told me of one.
Good info here - http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=11#top If you want to be completely grossed out, click the link below to see a photo of a heart full of those nasty things. :ack::ack: http://www.providenceri.com/animal/heartworms.jpg
One of my foster dogs has heartworm disease and was just treated for it last week. Nowadays the treatment is much less harsh and the prognosis is usally good I think. Scrappy spent 2 days at the vet getting 2 injections, each 24 hours apart. He was sent home with instructions to keep him as quiet as possible for 4 weeks, antibiotics, and prednisone. He goes back in 4 weeks for 4 hours and another injection. Then after 30 days he can start on hw prevention monthly. This particular dog took the injections very well and didn't have any negative effects whatsoever. He's feeling great and doesn't understand why he isn't allowed to play with the other dogs! The vet I used was awesome and that is key. More importantly, he gave me a discount for a rescue and it was expensive but not terribly so. I hope Jake feels better! Good luck!
Thanks raccumup. I think Jake will do okay through it. Makes me feel better hearing about other doggies who have done okay. I'll keep you up on how he does. I have to let his ear heal before treatment can start. And thanks for the links Ready. The 1st one looks helpful! I refuse to click on the second one because I've seen it before. You know me, I don't do worms of any sort very well. Just the mere mention of them during meal time for a month could lose me 40 lbs. Maybe it was the maggots I stumbled upon as a kid when my Dad raised hogs. Maybe it was...well, I could tell ya a worm story about a cat long ago but then I'd probably just:ack: Nope, no spiders, no snot and NO worms. I'd rather change diapers all day than deal with those 3 things. YUCK!:ack::ack::ack:
Depending on what stage the heartworms are is how treatment is determined. Some very early stages can be treated with regular heartworm preventative. You need to notice that it is referred to as treatment, not cure. What many people don't realize is that the heart is a muscle - it will NOT regenerate. . .at least not now - medical technology is able to regenerate tissue, so down the road, who knows what they'll be able to grow. Damage done to the heart by heartworms will NOT get better, but it will not grow any worse once the worms are gone. Giving dogs their heartworm preventative each and every month is the only way to ensure they can avoid this disease. The cost of prevention is much easier to handle (financially and physically), than the cost of the treatment. Hope Jake does well during his treatment, just keep him as quiet as possible and do all your vet says and he should be just fine.
Thanks zoo. So how do I know how bad they are and if treating them with the preventative could work. The little test she showed me had a small amount of blue in the white area but it was not full of blue, I'd say about the size od 4-5 pinheads. Does this mean anything? I mean, if he needs the heavier treatment, I'll do what he needs. But if he could be spared the harsh one, I'd like to do that. I know he needs to be on preventitive treatments year round. I had been really good about it but last summer I ran into a situation which required me to be away for a while and I could not see that he got his monthly doses for 2 months.:? And we have skeeters HORRIBLY at my house.
Well, my typical disclaimer: I am NOT a vet. . .But have encountered more dogs than I can count with heartworm disease over the years (when you work in shelters and rescues you meet a lot of them. Honestly, ANY dog who is not on HW preventative will stand a 90% chance of becoming infected with the disease - unless they live at the South Pole. Here's what I have in my file, hope it is a help: When testing for heartworm disease, whole blood is drawn from the dog, stabilized so it will not clot, and tested for the presence of a protein shed by the female worm as she passes microfilaria. This test is very reliable and will detect worm burdens of 2-3 worms or higher. The University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine, Diagnostic LaboratoryAnother common test that can be used in conjunction with the antigen test is the Knotts test or Modified Knotts test. This is where whole blood is drawn and treated to cause the blood cells to break open. Then the sample is spun in a centrifuge, the top portion is poured off, and the bottom sediment is looked at under the microscope for the presence of microfilaria. Usually once a diagnosis is made via a blood test, then X-rays, CBC (complete blood count), Chemistry profile (evaluates the function of the body’s organs), and Urinalysis are evaluated to determine the impact of the Heartworm infection on the dog’s health. Animals displaying signs of heart disease side effects may have a complete cardiac evaluation, or evaluation of any other area of the body that is indicated by the initial test results. Canine patients will be staged for Heartworm Disease as part of the evaluation. This helps the practitioner decide which method of treatment would be best for the elimination of the Heartworms: Stage I Lowest risk... young healthy dogs with minimal Heartworm disease evident on X-rays and all other tests are normal. Stage II Moderately affected dogs... some coughing is noticed, some difficulty breathing, changes are seen on X-rays, and blood work may reveal some kidney and/or liver damage. Stage III Severely affected dogs... the patient has weight loss, coughing, difficulty breathing, more damage visible on x-rays, and blood tests shows kidney and/or liver damage. Stage IV Vena Cava Syndrome or Caval Syndrome... the dog is collapsing in shock, all of the above abnormalities are more intense and the dog is dying. They are initially treated with surgical jugular removal of some worms if possible. There is no guarantee this treatment will be successful and many patients with Caval Syndrome die in spite of attempts to treat. The prescription medications used to treat the adult Heartworms are called adulticides. The two adulticides used most commonly are derivatives of arsenic. It is not known exactly how these medications work to kill the worms. We just know they do work. Can only be given intravenously.NOTE: New medications may be available at any time; this listing of treatments may not be complete! The first one is thiacetarsamide (Caparsolate). It has been used for at least half a century and is effective but can be toxic to the liver, kidneys, or cause severe irritation if the solution gets outside of the vein. The second medication is called Melarsomine dihydrochloride (Immiticide). With fewer side effects than thiacetarsamide, it is also an arsenic derivative and is administered by a careful intramuscular injection. It appears to be as effective and possibly more so in dogs than thiacetarsamide. It has potential for significant side effects and close veterinary monitoring is very important. Side effects from the medication can be immediate or take up to 2 weeks to appear. One aspect of the side effects are due to the destruction of the adult worms and the resulting blood vessel blockage and inflammation. No matter what adulticide is used, it is very important to keep your dog very quiet and follow all of your Doctor’s instructions. If you have any doubt about what to do or what is going on, do not hesitate to call your veterinarian ASAP. As the inflammation peaks after adulticide treatment at 5-10 days, sometimes anti-inflammatory medications are used. The veterinarian will determine at the time what to use after evaluating the severity of the reaction. Some anti-inflammatory medications can reduce the effectiveness of the adulticide. Therefore it is a judgment call regarding what is best for the pet’s health at the time. Some patients even require a second set of adulticide treatments since the very immature L5 Heartworms and young female adults are more resistant to the treatment. After the adulticide treatment and its side effects are resolved (usually at about 1 month post treatment), the microfilaria are then eliminated with one or another of two common Heartworm preventatives, Ivermectin (HeartGard) or Mibemycin oxime (Interceptor). This will be done approximately one month after the adulticide treatment, depending on your veterinarian’s final decision regarding when it can be done. Approximately four months after adulticide therapy, the dogs are retested for the presence of Heartworm. This will determine if a second treatment will be needed. And finally - When you give your dog heartworm preventative, you are actually KILLING heartworms that infected the dog in the month PRIOR to the pill. In other words. . .last night, for example, I gave my dogs their HW preventative (they get it on the 18th or 19th of every month. . .(I prefer to give it to them when they are almost ready for bed, with some cheese - this way I would know if they got sick to their stomach ---with 4 of them rough housing and a LARGE back yard, I wouldn't know if they got sick out there and if I did find the evidence, I wouldn't likely know who got sick. So this way I know that the preventative had time to get into their system. Everyone does it their own way - that's just mine. . .Anyway - the pills they had last night, would kill any heartworms or larva that they got since January 19th. . .the pills do not prevent the heartworms from getting into the dog, they prevent the disease from spreading by killing the heartworms BEFORE they have a chance to do any damage. Hope that translation makes sense - only 2 cups of coffee on board this morning. Ask your vet what stage Jakes Heartworms are if they didn't already tell you. Gotta scoot - have work to do - will check in later. .
Oh, and to answer your ? About which treatment - only your vet can prescribe treatment. Ask about all possible options and discuss them with him/her. Don't be afraid to ask. . .be sure you understand what to expect. . .Jake is a patient, and a furry kid. . .inquire the way you would for one of your two legged critters Your vet won't mind answering any questions - honest!
Great post Zoo!! Another side note, as Zoo said the monthly treatment kills the worms... so if your dog HAS heartworms and you treat and kill the heartworms you can kill your dog!! If the worms have multiplied enough the dead worms block up the valves of the heart.... So if you get a new pet, or have missed several months of preventative, it is important to have a heartworm test preformed before you resume the monthly treatment. So please have your dogs tested if you have lapsed... I hate to encourage anyone to put off starting back up with the treatment, because I feel this is part of the whole cyclic problem, but use your caution and judgement!
Bumping this thread because I had a nice talk with an animal shelter vet last night about all kinds of animal stuff. There was a vet tech student talking with us and they started talking about heartworms and heartworm treatment. The vet was talking about treating heartworms with the preventative Heartgard and she said she would prescribe it to prevent more adult heartworms, by keeping the microfilaria killed off, if the cost of adult heartworm treatment was an issue and had to be delayed for any reason. That made sense to me. Found this and thought I'd share it: The vet was also talking about a parasite that lives inside heartworms (double :ack::ack:!) I had never heard about that before but I found information on it at that site too.
Thanks Ready. I've been wrestling with which method to use. This further convinces me that I might feel better about the "slow kill" method. I think I will treat him this way throught the summer months and then have him tested again in the fall. If he is still positive, the weather will be cool again so the harsher treatment will not be as rough in the heat. Great info. Thanks again.
