Dog Heartworm Treatment

Because heartworm disease is preventable, it is recommended that pet owners take steps now to talk to their veterinarian about how to best protect their pets from this dangerous disease. Heartworm prevention is safe, easy and inexpensive. While treatment for heartworm disease in dogs is possible, it is a complicated and expensive process, taking weeks for infected animals to recover.

Due to the temperature dependent nature of the heartworm life cycle, use of heartworm preventives may be considered seasonal in some of the northernmost parts of the United States. The heartworm preventive season which veterinarians will employ depends upon their knowledge of the heartworm life cycle, the transmission pattern in their region, and the individual client’s activity profile. Before starting a preventive program, all dogs that could possibly be infected with mature heartworms should be tested.

There are a variety of options for preventing heartworm infection in dogs, including daily and monthly tablets and chewables and monthly topicals. All of these methods are extremely effective, and when administered properly on a timely schedule, heartworm infection can be completely prevented. These medications interrupt heartworm development before adult worms reach the lungs and cause disease. It is your responsibility to faithfully maintain the prevention program you have selected in consultation with your veterinarian.

The preventive options by medications include :

1. Diethylcarbamazine. Diethylcarbamazine requires daily oral administration throughout the heartworm season and two months after in order to be effective in preventing heartworm infection. The drug is available in several formulations and has a history of being reliable, safe, and efficacious. The primary drawback to the usage of this drug is the necessity to make sure the dog is microfilariae free and the strict client compliance to its daily administration in order for it to be effective.
2. Macrocyclic Lactone (ML). Macrocyclic lactones are highly effective parasiticides used in preventing heartworm infections. Their primary benefits lie in their safety and ease of administration being either monthly doses or a six month injection administered by a veterinarian. Each of the macrocyclic lactones can have additional intestinal parasite or external parasite activity, or an additive incorporated to do such, which could be the determining factor that a veterinarian uses to recommend a particular product for a certain region or an individual situation.
3. Ivermectin. Ivermectin (Heartgard®, Heartgard Plus®, Merial, IverhartTM Plus, Virbac) was the first in this family of drugs to be approved for use in preventing heartworm infection. Infection with larvae as long as two months prior to initiation of ivermectin treatment will be blocked from development.
4. Milbemycin. Milbemycin oxime (Interceptor^® & Sentinel^® by Novartis) has benefits, which are similar to ivermectin.
5. Selamectin. Selamectin (Revolution^® by Pfizer) is applied topically to prevent heartworm disease.
6. Moxidectin. Moxidectin (Advantage Multi™ by Bayer) is available in a topical formulation, in combination with a flea control product, imidacloprid.