heartworm

[shanonhill09]

I just got a basset hound from a rescue. He tested postive for heartworms. Their vet just put him on iverhart plus to kill the worms slowly. Will this work or do I need to take him to another vet? Thank you, Shannon

[hazelrunpack]

One of our members, Frenchy, has a golden that is heartworm positive. He, too, is being dosed with monthly ivermectin. I think the idea is to keep the meds going all year round for a number of years to kill all the larval heartworms. Eventually, the adult worms die, and since there is no next generation (all of the larvae having been killed by the meds), the infection is cured at that point.

With luck, Frenchy will see your thread tomorrow. She may have some advice for you and your basset!

[Frenchy]

Thanks Hazel for letting me know about this thread

Hi Shannon , sorry about your dog being heartworm positive , I never heard about the iverhart treatment , I use Heartguard +.

How long did the vet tell you to keep your dog on that treatment ? And what is the norm in Arkansas ? Because here in Quebec , we only have to treat our dogs (for heartworms) for 6 months (in summer). For Bailey , I had to see 3 different vets before being told to keep him all year round on Heartguard , for 3-4 years. It also depends on the amount of worms they have, if they have been infected for long. If you are not sure , ask your vet for a copy of the results , call at least 2 good vet schools and after telling them the results , ask for their advices on treatment.

good luck and keep us posted !

[BenMax]

I am presently going through the same thing with my GSD. His heartworm is advanced and they are going very aggressively with the first injection. This is not normally recommended however for him it is the only alternative.

I wish you the very very best of luck. I know exactly what you are going through.