Question by goldeeloxxz: Does anyone know of medication that can safely kill heartworms in a dog?
I recently rescued a dog that was neglected & abused. We took him to the vet & he was diagnosed with heartworms & other problems. I have treated him for everything but he has the existing worms & treatment I’m told is dangerous and very expensive. I am hoping someone has info & a remedy or meds I can order online that are safe & effective. My family has taken in several unwanted dogs & try to provide a good home where they won’t be abused anymore & we would appreciate input on alternative treatments than what our vets here have to offer. They suggested two injections over a couple of days with observation as he could possibly die when the worms dislodge & try to pass like an emboli causing a stroke. I have heard of a product called HWF (heartworm free) but I don’t know how effective it really is or safe? Please help.
Thanks in advance.

Best answer:

Answer by Shelly C
You MUST get the meds from the vet as if you do go with anything else to prevent HWorms you will kill the dog! PLEASE, I know it may be costly, but you must do this properly otherwise you should have the dog put down.
Thanks for taking care of the four legged ones!

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Question by psttt: Do dogs with heartworms go obese?
Let me tell you Bertha’s story. Bertha is up for adoption at the humane society in my city. She is heartworm positive. She was rescued from a puppy mill a few months ago. She is 3 or 4 years old. She is obese, but not as much as this http://www.my-pet-medicine.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/dog-obese-chihuahua.jpg. She looks like the chihuahua in the picture.

The receptionists that have no medical training at the adoption center told me that she is obese because of heartworms. Please tell me that this is wrong. How can a dog get obese because of heartworms? I can imagine bloating in the stomach area only but this dog is fat all around. She is not lethargic. Does she have trouble getting up? Of course! What obese person doesn’t?!

They say because she is obese that she is probably in her last stages of heartworms. These people aren’t vets and know nothing. They’re trying to put Bertha down. Someone is willing to foster her so we can start the heartworm treatment (I am paying for the heartworm treatment, even as a broke college student with no job) and they’re talking about “yeah, she’s getting fat – we’re going to have to check her out.” You know what the animal shelter vets do to dogs with even the slightest health problem? They put them down, left and right! This dog is being fostered in a week or two, who CARES how bad the heartworms are…let’s at least TRY to treat her, right? The dog is obviously not suffering. She prances around for 3+ hours all the time in cute ballerina dresses and greets EVERYONE. she jumps on everyone and man, you have to see this dog. She is anything but sick. You would never think she came from a puppy mill because she is so friendly. She is the best dog I ever met…and I’ve met more than a thousand. After all, I work at an animal shelter!
By the way, when bertha was rescued from the puppy mill…she had 10 other chihuahua friends who were also rescued. All of these chihuahuas were put in a hugeee kennel together. So now just imagine 10 big bowls of cheap dry dog food in one room….a dog with a huge appetite is bound to free load off of all the food.

Best answer:

Answer by Dogmabitesmanonleg
It wouldn’t be just fat, unless she’s already spayed and/or has had a high fat diet. It would also be fluid buildup from congestive heart failure, from the worms blocking her heart function. Any fat would be from lack of activity, which in turn would be from lack of energy due to the decreased function of her heart. It’s a complicated sequence of cause & effect. She may have an underactive thyroid and should probably be tested for that. But only a vet can verify all of this. I’ll be honest and admit this is just an enlightened/experienced guess as to why she’s overweight.

Dogs in terminal heartworm stages LOSE weight, not gain it. I hope you can save her. There are homeopathic methods of treatment for heartworms, so you might want to check that out.

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Question by Panther: Dogs and Heartworms ….?
I live in Texas and when it rains, almost immediately afterwards any standing water outside is FULL of mosquito larva swimming around in it … my dogs favorite thinig to do is drink that standing water … i try and stay on it, by dumping out everything around the house but she gets into areas by neighbors places and such … i know infected mosquitos can cause heartworms, is this also true if they eat or drink larva ?
Yes, she has had her prevenitive medicine, however i would still like to know if the larva can be a problem

Best answer:

Answer by bob ©
the mosquito has to bite the dog in order for the dog to become infected.

good question though!

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Question by Poppy7: Has anyone ever had to treat a dog for heartworms?
I understand all about heartworms and I just adopted a dog that is heartworm positive. Now I have an appointment to get her treated.

How can I keep her from going stir-crazy in a cage for 2 weeks; then after that she can come out but can’t play or run. I have three other dogs that will be doing all this, but this dog won’t be able to. How can we stand it? Any ideas for how to keep her occupied while “in jail”? Games we could play, etc.

Best answer:

Answer by Teresa V
My dog broke her leg and needed a cast for 8 weeks followed by 2 additional weeks of no running or jumping so she had to be in puppy jail and she had never been crate trained (I think it’s mean) but in this situation she had to be. We gave her extra nylabones and other chew toys that she liked and wouldn’t get too active with. She also knew that she was supposed to be calm (at least when the cast and cone were on). Once the cast got off she was pretty much miserable for two weeks because she wanted to run with the other dogs again but would be scolded when she did. Poor thing is back to normal now and happy as ever!!

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Question by Laura S: How do you know if your dog has heartworms, ringworms or tapeworms and if so can it be treated with heartguard
i saw worms in my dogs poo and i think they are tapeworms. i just wanted to know how you treat them. and how to prevent heartworms and other kinds of worms. Can you use heartguard??

Best answer:

Answer by ~*~Manda~*~
three letters….. V E T!!!!!

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