# share your story to help my dog survive heartworms disease



## AlanK (Jun 28, 2008)

It has been 3 years since I had my boy treated for HW when he came to live with me. Like you I was worried about the treatment. His treatment was 2 shots one in each hip 1 day apart. He was sore from the shots and the first 10 days or so he was sick. 

I had to keep him quiet for 5 weeks. No running or any activity that would get his heart rate up. This was the most difficult. He was 2.5 years old at the time and he learned to be a very good dog on a leash post treatment. 

He is a happy healthy boy now. I believe the treatment now days is less tragic on a dog than it was 10 years ago. 

Thanks for adopting Kysha and for wanting to care for her. How old is she?
Al


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

I cannot speak to today's treatments, but back in the 70s/80s I had a dog with Heartworm (a rescue shepard). He had to stay at the vets for 3 days of chemotherapy (sorry I so not know what kind) and once home had to be kept quiet for several months.

But, he recovered and the nearest we can tell lived to be over 18 years old;that is based on an estimated 12 - 18 months old when we adopted him. 

As AlanK mentioned, leash walking is very necessary to prevent over taxing the healing heart.

Good luck with the treatment


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

The vet will give her shots to kill the heartworms, then she will need to stay calm, no running, no walking, no playing, for several weeks after to allow the dead worms to be processed out of her system. If she starts coughing, or gets weak she needs to be seen by the vet again.

BUT, most dogs do fine with treatment and recover well. After the restriction period she can start back slowly to normal activity.

Where are you located? Maybe we have board members that can give you recommendations for vets with experience treating heartworms.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I have a former puppy mill mom that I adopted four years ago. Roxy had Stage 3 HW, received injections over a four month period. Today she is very healthy, very happy, and living life to he fullest. She made a full recovery without any complications or set backs. 

It was recommened by both the GR Rescue Group I adopted her from and my Vet not to expose her to extreme heat, it's very hard on them. I live on the NC Coast, it gets very hot and humid here during the summer months. Roxy doesn't like the heat, she only goes out during the early morning hours or later in the evenings. The remaining of the day she lounges around the house in the air conditioning. 

We take her to the beach to go swimming, limit her to no more than 45 minutes if it's really hot. She's also blonde, her skin gets a bit pink if she's out too long in the sun, have to watch to make sure she doesn't get sunburned.


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

It depends on where you live on the type of treatment. If you find out from the vet on the type of medicine they will use, it might tell us what it will take for her. My girl Daisy was h/w positive when I fostered her. It was done in a three step process like this:
The only product currently available for the treatment of adult heartworms is melarsomine dihydrochloride (Immiticide® by Merial). If you follow the manufacturer's recommendations, treatment can be done in two doses or three doses depending on the class of infection. Most universities, however, opt to treat all patients with the three-dose protocol as it creates a more gradual kill of the adult worms, which is safer in terms of embolism and shock.
The patient receives an intramuscular injection deeply in the lower back muscles as shown above. This is a painful injection with a painful substance, and it is common for the patient to be quite sore afterwards at home. Pain medication may be needed. Be careful of the injection site as it may hurt enough to cause a dog to bite. An abscess may form at the site, which requires use of warm compresses. Approximately 30% of dogs experience some sort of reaction at the injection site that resolves in 1 to 4 weeks. Some dogs develop a permanent firm lump at the site of injection.
In the two-dose protocol, the dog receives a second injection the next day on the opposite side of the lower back. In the three-dose protocol, the dog comes back one month later for two doses 24 hours apart (the first dose represents an introductory treatment to kill some of the more sensitive worms.) Keep in mind, too many worms dying at once creates circulatory shock.
After treatment, the patient must be strictly confined for one month following the final treatment. No walks, no running around. The dog must live the indoor life. The reason for this is that embolism to some degree is inevitable and it is important to minimize embolism-related problems. Exercise increases heart rate and oxygen demand and we need the heart to rest during this recovery period.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

WE ADOPTED HONEY DEC. 7, 2002 FROM THE TINY ALL BREED RESCUE HERE IN OUR LITTLE TOWN. THEY SAID SHE WAS APRASITE FREE, INCLUDNG HEARTWORMS, AND WAS GIVEN A HEARTWORM PREVENTION PILL THE DAY BEFORE WE PICKED HER UP (HAD A COUPLE OD DAYS DEALY DUE TO BEING OUT OF TOWN FOR THOSE 2 DAYS.)

I TOOK HER TO MY VET THE FIRST PART OF JAN AND SHE TESTED POSITIVE FOR HEARTWORMS, HE DID THE TEST AGAIN--POSITIVE. SO WE ARRANGED TO HAVE HER TREATED. WE HAD TO TAKE HE IN EARLY IN THE MORNING, THEY SHAVED TWO PLACES ON HER HIPS AND GAVE HER AN INJUECTION IN ONE SIDE, KEPT HER ALL DAY AND NIGHT, GAVE HER THE OTHER INJECTION THE NEXT MORNING, AND I PICKED HER UP JUST BEFORE CLOSING.

I HAD TO KEEP HER KENNELED FOR 6 WEEKS, AND THIS WAS VERY HARD BECAUE WE HAD LITTERMATE GOLDENS A LITTLE OVER 3 YEARS OLD AND AN OLDER GOLDEN. hONEY HAD TO BE IN THAT KENNEL WATCHING THE OTHER THREE PLAY, ETC. BY THEWAY SHE WAS "RIGHT AT A YEAR OLD" WHEN WE ADOPTED HER.

WHEN HER 6 WEEKS WERE UP I TOOK HER IN, SHETESTED CLEAR AND I CAME HOME AND RELEASED HER IN THE BACK YRD AND SHE RAND AN SPUN AND TIWRLED AND JUMPED AND RAN AND RAN. SHE HAD 6 WEEKS OF PENT UP ENERGY TO SPEND.

THIS WAS 8 YEARS AGO MONTH BEFORE LAST THAT SHE WAS TREATED AND SHE HAD BEEN CLEAR EVER SINCE. I GET HER CHEST AND HEART X-RAYED EVERY SEOND YEAR AND MYT VT SAID THAT HER HEART AND LUNGS ARE SO PERFECT THE X-RAYS COULD BE USED TO SHOW WHAT A PERFECT CHEST LOOKS LIKE.

SHE IS NEARING 9 1/2 NOW, MAYBE ALREADY THERE, BUT SHE ACTS MORE LIKE SHE IS 9 MONTHS OLD THANT 9 YEARS OLD. SHE LOVES RUNNING UP AND DOWN THE BACK FENCE, LOVES TO CHASE AND TRY TO CATCH SQUIRRELS, AND ONE WOLD NEVER KNOW SHE HAD HEART WORMS AND WAS TREATED FOR THEM.

IT IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DOKEEP HER CONFINED FOR THE 5 OR 6 WEEKS AS THE WORMS DIE AND HAVE TO BE ABSORBED AND IF SHE GETS TO ACTIVE TO SOON A CLUMB CAN GO TO HER HEAR OR LUNGS AND KILL HER. BUT FOLLOW THE VET'S INSTRUCTIONS AND YOU MOT LIELY WILL HAVE A LONG HEALTHY LIFE FOR OU DOG.

THIS IS MY HONEY TAKEN A FEW MONTHS AGO.iI HOPE I GOT THE CORRECT PICTURE. I AM LEGALLY BIND AND JUST CAN'T SEE THE TINY PICTURES TO BROWE THRU, BUT MAYBE TIS IS THE RIGHT ONE.-


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