i need to know?

Question

Well im really worried, i've just did some researched on heartworm
and it reallly scared me, and i wanted to know how do you know if your dog has heart worm,my female dog is 7months old about to be 8months and the vets office is close right know but im just really worried and shaken on the thought of heartworm

so if anyone has information that would help me, i would really appriciate it , please and thank you.

shela

Answer 1

There is NO SUCH THING as passive immunity from heartworm disease. (Meaning immunity from the mother.)A dog can contract heartworm disease on the day it is born and the mother's "immunity" has nothing to do with it! Dogs should be put on preventative at the age of 8 wks. Heartworm disease is transmitted by mosquitoes. It's kind of a complicated life cycle, involving intermediate and definitive hosts, but the bottom line is that it's preventable. You should take your dog to the vet sometime (it's really not an emergency - you shouldn't feel that you need to rush somewhere right now and get her tested based on what your research showed) and get some blood drawn and tested for heartworm disease. They are looking for a specific protein, called an antigen, in the blood of your dog that indicates that adult heartworms are parasitizing your dog. If your dog is positive, they can treat her. If she's negative, and not already on heartworm preventative, you should get her put on it. Most dogs with heartworm have a cough, and are often intolerant of exercise. They are usually lethargic, or at least less active than they used to be. They may eat less, and sometimes have trouble breathing. If your dog is showing any of these signs, you should take her to the vet sooner rather than later, but it's doubtful that she has heartworm disease. It takes a good 6 months for the heartworms to mature to the adult stage that can even be detected by the tests, and it usually takes even longer than that for a dog to become symptomatic.

Answer 2

By the time infected dogs show any signs of this disease, it is well advanced. The signs of heartworm disease depend on the number of adult worms present, their locations, the length of time they have been present & the degree of damage to the organs.

The most obvious signs are noticeable after exercising when some dogs may even faint & include:

1. a soft, dry, chronic cough
2. shortness of breath
3. weakness
4. nervousness
5. listlessness
6. loss of stamina

Severely infected dogs may die suddenly during exercise or excitement.

Various blood tests will determine if the dog can tolerate treatment.

Only your vet can do blood test to determine if your dog has heartworms.
There is a once a month preventive you can give your dog so you will never have to worry again.

Answer 3

Don't be that worried. Heartworms is a very very very bad disease but it is 100% treatable and preventable. Heartworms are passed on from mosquitos. They can not be passed on from the mother (like if the mother has heartworms). They can get it from day one, and a dog doesnt have any "immunity" for them. Take your dog to a vet, get her checked for heartworms, (they can usually do and in-house test that takes about 8 min to run) and then you will have some results. But it is very unlikely that she has it. This is in no way, an excuse for you to not take her ASAP to a vet and get her tested and put on a preventative for them. If you follow the requirements and put her on Heartgard, they offer a 100% guarantee that your dog wont come down with heartworms if you are giving the medicine correctly (which is once a month) - usu. a small chew treats and most dogs love them. If your dog does get them they will pay for the heartworm treatment, which can run you anywhere from $250-...? 600... i dont know what the max is. I know at our clinic we charge $250 or $450, and we are rural.. .so i know that bigger cities can be much more expensive.
But dont worry... its unlikely that your pet has them.

Answer 4

The vet should have given you medicine that you give to your dog each month to prevent heartworm. If your dog has been taking them then I wouldn't be too concerned. If you are really concerned call your vet tomorrow they can always do a heartworm test. There is nothing you can do about it right now.

I remember when I first got my dog I was worried about every little thing. I probably bought my vet a new house with vet visits. Don't be afraid to call your vet with any concerns. They understand how to some people their animals are like children.

Answer 5

I am a vet nurse. Puppies need to start heartworm tabs at about the age your pup is now. Prior to that they have natural immunity from their mother. It has happened that they get heartworm earlier then 1yr but it is very rare. A simple blood test now and another one in 6 months can determine really quickly if your pooch has heart worm. It is spread by mosquitoes so is quite common in Australia, i am not sure where you are.

Start the monthly tablets/drops on the back of the neck as soon as you can.

Heartworm will not kill a dog overnight, it takes some time and is quite treatable.

Just remember also that it is quite common for a dog to have an adverse reaction to the yearly heartworm injection, it is really not worth risking it for convenience sake, stick with the monthly doses!!!

Answer 6

The possibility of a 7-8 month old dog having heartworms is fairly small. The development of an adult heartworm takes up to 6 months of develop. contact your vet for heartworm preventative and continue on the preventative year around

Answer 7

Well Shela do these worms appear as a ring-shaped sore on your dog's skin with patchy hair growth which is caused by fungus and is very contagious so keep the dog isolated. I use natural alternatives by a wellness company called Melaleuca and I know that the products would cure your dog which would take a few weeks to clear up this condition. [e-mail]

Answer 8

At 8 months you need not worry. Even if your puppy has contracted heartworms, they will not be mature. When you take your dog to the vet he more than likely will just put it right on heart guard without even testing because of the puppy's age.
I would not however, let a puppy of that age go through the winter before either being tested or put on heart guard. (The chance of contracting heart worms is gone with the first freeze)

Note:
I make my own Heart Guard
a 100 year supply costs about $20
http://www.paxboxers.com/assets/articles/article_Ivermectine%20Use.pdf#search='ivermectine%20for%20dogs'

.

Answer 9

I don't tink you need to worry right now. You will need to take her to the vet soon where she will get a blood test to determine if she has the disease or not. If she is ok, she will be given a medication to be given every month... do NOT forget to give her this! It will PREVENT her getting heartworm. This is caused by her getting bitten by a mosquito that carries it.

Answer 10

there are several symptoms, fatigue, coughing, shortness of breath, etc and some don't show any signs, a test is simple the vet simply draws some blood, puts a drop of the blood on a snap test and within 10mins. there will be results, get the test done and if it is negative you can put your dog on heartworm preventative.