22 Jul Dog Heartworm Disease (Dirofilariasis) ; Diagnosis, treatment, prevention (part 2)

In the first part, we explained the dog heartworm and said that it’s generally caused by a parasite that lives in the blood. We also explained in detail how the dog became infected, the dog heartworm symptoms, the way of diagnosis and treatment. In this section, we will talk about post-treatment care and prevention.

Care needed after heartworm treatment…

Complete dog’s rest after injection of melarsomine is essential. Adult worms die and break down after a few days. It can take weeks to months. Most complications after treatment are caused by the same parts of the body of dead worms; because they can clog the lungs arteries and cause the dog to die. This period is susceptible and dangerous. So the animal should remain as still and immobile as possible from the time of the first injection to a month or a month and a half after the last injection. He shouldn’t have much activity at all. Otherwise, he may even die; Especially the first week is crucial.

Many dogs with severe illnesses cough for 7-8 weeks after treatment. In this case, you can seek help from a veterinarian. Killed worms can cause severe respiratory problems (especially if the dog isn’t kept in a condition that prevents it from moving). These problems may occur from a few days to 6 weeks after the injection. Its symptoms include cough, high blood pressure, gasping (hard or fast breathing), lethargy, anorexia, fever and depression.

If you see these symptoms in your dog, he should be placed in a cage or box, and you should notify the veterinarian immediately. In such cases, oxygen and drugs that control inflammation and reduce blood clots are used. If properly cared for, most of these dogs will begin to improve 24 hours later. 

Another drug is given to the dog to kill the microfilariae, and the dog may need to stay in the hospital during this time. There are several medications to kill microfilariae, and your veterinarian will choose the best medication based on your dog’s condition. If the disease is very severe and many worms have entered the heart to block blood flow severely, it may be necessary to surgically remove the worms. After treatment, dogs are usually given heartworm medications.

After 8 to 12 months, the vet should test the dog to make sure all the worms are gone. If the test is positive, they may have another test. In a positive case, the vet will repeat treatment with melarsomine from the beginning. Fortunately, treatment usually improves the animal so much that its owner is surprised. 

Heartworm prevention

There are many antiparasitic drugs that you can use to prevent dog heartworms. These drugs aren’t harmless. They are cheap and prevent the disease well. There are several types of medications that you can use to prevent dirofilariasis: pills that are taken once a month, ointments that need to be applied to the skin once a month, and ampoules that are injected once every six months. The amount of ivermectin injected into a dog or the number of other drugs used depends on your dog’s weight.

It’s recommended to start taking these medications from 6 to 8 weeks for dogs. No testing is required at this age. In 7 months old dogs and older, it’s better to have an antigen test before starting heartworm medications to make sure the animal isn’t infected. 6-7 months after this test, your dog should do another test Because the growth period of the dog’s heartworm is 6 months. Moreover, there may be worms in the body in the first test that the antigen test can’t detect. Heartworm medications are recommended throughout the year for most dogs, but you should consult your veterinarian to determine the best schedule.

The most important thing you can do to protect your dogs from heartworms is to make sure that you give the prescribed dose to the dog at exactly the right time. The most common type of dog heartworm prevention medication is taken only once a month, which is why many dog ​​owners may forget to give the drug to the animal. You can stick the date sheet of the medicine on the refrigerator and check the sheet every time you give the medicine to your dog.

Forgetting and not taking even one dose of medicine can have bad consequences for the dog. If you miss a dose, call your veterinarian and ask what to do. Getting heartworm doesn’t cause any resistance in the dog’s body. It means that maybe a dog gets sick, and the vet treats him, but if you don’t give him heartworm medicine, he can get the disease with an infected mosquito bite again. As a result, you should give ivermectin to all dogs every month for the rest of their lives.

Can I give my dog ivermectin in the cold months of the year when there are no mosquitoes?

Dogs must take this drug throughout the year. One reason is that most people sometimes forget to give medicine to their dogs. If you give the animal medicine all year round but forget for a month, the dog’s body will probably remain resistant and won’t get sick. But if you don’t take medicine for more than a month or two, the animal may get the disease.

Another reason to take the drug throughout the year is that most heartworm preventative drugs kill intestinal parasites and should be used regularly So that dogs don’t get these parasites. The best way to protect your dog from heartworm disease is to take precautions from the beginning and be aware of where your dog is going, what environment he’s in and what he’s doing. If you suspect something, deal with it immediately so that the disease doesn’t become more acute and you don’t lose your pet.