Heartworm question 1,783,210

[Faithful Retrievers]

I am sure it has been pounded around here but haven't been around in a while. Whats the over all recommendation on treating a dog that test positive. I think the last I read are heard was some folks were going to advantage for 6 months and retesting. Anyone else had any results with this? I had a bad feeling going in with above average skeeters this summer and 7 years of a clean record. Also vet recommended being on some stuff for 30 days then go in for a shot back home 30 back for two shots then confined for another 30. I have been through this a few years back we just did one treatment over two days and confined for 30. I have also heard others say light or heavy positive, but vet acted like there was no way to tell if there were 2 or 100. Last test was about 9 month ago and it was neg.

[BGITTER]

I have a positive dog and have always been scared of doing the treatment that makes me confine my dog for thirty days and one little slip he dies so i have never went with that plus that treatment is arsenic that they inject your dog with. My personal opinion is i dont want no part of that. I recentally attended a hunt club meeting and the topic was heartworms at the meeting i find out that you can put your dog on doxcycline 400MG A DAY for thirty days and continue with the advantage multi and the dogs are coming back negative. So i was like WOW!!! no confinement no arsenic your dog can be its normal self and it has work on other dogs so i was like why not thats a no brainer. So we did and we just finish our last dose sunday. Not sure if it work yet or not but we tried it and the only thing i can say negative about it is it tears there stomach up after a couple of weeks of the doses. So you may want to ask the vet about it give it a try the cost of the doxcycline was like $28 and the advantage multi is like $20 a month whole lot cheaper than the $1,000 arsenic shot. Hope this helps i think i have explain everything but if you have any questions feel free to call (662) 514-0282 Brian

[brandonvet]

I have a positive dog and have always been scared of doing the treatment that makes me confine my dog for thirty days and one little slip he dies so i have never went with that plus that treatment is arsenic that they inject your dog with. My personal opinion is i dont want no part of that. I recentally attended a hunt club meeting and the topic was heartworms at the meeting i find out that you can put your dog on doxcycline 400MG A DAY for thirty days and continue with the advantage multi and the dogs are coming back negative...Brian

For the 1,783,210th time:
one little slip he dies overdramatized, not true
that treatment is arsenic No its not arsenic, it's immiticide
can put your dog on doxcycline 400MG A DAY for thirty days and continue with the advantage multi yes, you can, it does work in some cases. But it aint for everybody. There's pros and cons to both treatments, both can be safe, both can be effective. I've treated dogs both ways and have recommended one over the other for different dogs.

To me, bottom line is this: if you've had the dog on prevention and you and your vet feel comfortable that the worm-burden is low and your willing to take on a little bit of risk, then advantage multi may be the best option, it works in most cases, especially for 1-2 heartworms, it's just slower. (also, you need to understand that advantage multi is not an FDA approved treatment, only a preventive product, it just happens to appear to have some adulticide activity based on anecdotal reports from veterinarians and experts.) If the worm burden is suspected to be high or unknown, you may be better off with the immiticide, it's a more controlled treatment option, we know when the worms die and we're confining the dog to control any adverse events and keep him safe. Problem is, like your vet said, we can't tell for sure how many worms are in there, so the safe bet is the immiticide. However, we can make an educated guess of how many worms are there based on a chest radiograph, so its not impossible, just not 100% accurate. The Adv M. is a second choice alternative treatment, when the situation dictates it.

[BGITTER]

O.K. guess i overdramatized about one little slip and your dog dies that is my opinion it may not be 100 percent correct but it's my opinion. I am no vet never claim to be this is the way it was explain to me. The reason for confinement is the shot that is given whether its arsenic or immiticide it kills the worms really fast possibly immediately and if the dog jumps or runs or any type of excersise besides walking on a lead to use the restroom theres a chance part of the worm could fall into the lungs of the dog and kill them. Again i will say i am no vet by any means and i understand the shot has work in many cases and its the dog owner responsibilty to make the decision on how to treat there on pet. I was just giving my opinion on heartworms and the decision i made on my dog. I will say this heartworms is nothing to play with and everybody has probably had a experience with them or will some day possibly,so for that being said there is alot of different opinions on the subject. I will ask my vet if i was you and see if the doxcycline is recommended and take there advice on the matter.The reason i told you about the doxcycline is alot of people out there hasnt heard about it. In that praticular meeting i was in there was probably 30 people there and no one knew about that treatment. Majority of the folks were on advantage multi with there pets and everyone seem to be satisfied so i would highly recommend that preventive if you are not already useing it.

[cdwyer]

Dr. Rick Vincent at Hernando Family Pet Clinic 662-349-0792

Can give you all the details of the slow kill method Brian is describing.

[Faithful Retrievers]

Charles- I am assuming that you think this slow kill method is effective? I am weighing my options. Giving 400mg of doxcycline every 12 hours for 30 days plus two seperate rounds of this shot 30 days apart is pretty invasive. The dog is 7 and has had a severe case of blasto at 2 which I am sure took a toll on his life expectancy, just want to do the right thing. I am thinking of trying the slow kill test in 6 months, seeing how killing them off shouldn't allow more damage? (maybe)
The first thing I am going to do is get a second test from another doc. Do all use this snap test?

[cdwyer]

Charles- I am assuming that you think this slow kill method is effective?

Its an option I would consider. Most importantly discuss with your vet. Dr Vincent can tell you exactly what the treatment consists of and given the medical history of your dog the two of you could figure out what direction to go. Whether you use him or not for whatever option you choose, he will be more than happy to discuss it w/you if nothing else over the phone.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[jsherwin]

Ill chime in on this.
Go ahead and give Advantage Multi to try to kill them little beast.
I did it and let me tell you how it worked out for me, IT DIDN't.
I'll never forget it as long as i live. One minute i'm speaking to a crowd of people at a cow-boy church.
The next I'm trying to get a dog to take a breath. Trying to find a vet away from my vet at 8 oclock at night watching a dog die is no fun. FInding one that happens to be one of the best in the State 10 minutes away was a God-sent. He started giving shots to her for a few different things and at 2 oclock that morning she finally lifted her head up to get some water. We shot x-rays that night and found half one one lung was nice and toasty. Heart sinks a little bit when you try to save some time and money. Lets go ahead and call it what it is.
We then went through the treatment once she was able to walk about 3 days later and it wasn't easy and it wasn't fun. I almost lost her again due to a pill that was perscribed to her. But in the long run I'll take those odds of taking time to keep them still anyday. I've seen it with my own eyes. I'll never risk it again.

Kill them devils and get it over with

[Faithful Retrievers]

Thanks
I have went through this with another dog a long time ago. 30 days arent that bad but confined 60 will be a task. I am just trying to weigh the options of long term effects. Cost does not come into the equation, I want the best result for the dog. This dog spent 60 days in the vet on IV during blasto, my vet sticker shock is gone.

[deadbird05]

I am going through this right now with my golden. He recieved the immiticide shots and is now staying inside the house with me for a month. He gets 1 1/2 doxicyclene pills morning and night and 1 prednisone every other day. The shot literally had no affect on him except for the tranquilizers on his first night home. (he was a little drunk). I have to walk him on a leash and crate him when we have visitors but other than that it is not as big a deal as you might think. Immiticide is a derivative of arsenic but has nowhere near the effect on the dog. I decided to do this because I would rather spend the money and get them out quick than to take a chance with multi and let the worms do more damage over the 6 month period. My dog has very few worms though. A dog with more may have more of an issue with immiticide.