The vet diagnosed my dog with heart worms and said it would cost about $300 since he's only in stage 1.?

Question

Do you know any other places I can get him treated for a cheaper price????

Answer 1

Since it is only stage 1 I would go through with the treatment ASAP. The sooner treatment is begun the easier the recovery. Untreated heartworms are fatal. As the worms grow and reproduce they clog arteries and stress out the heart. This price is very reasonable considering the extensive treatment procedure.

This website has detailed information of treatment and how to prevent re-infestation:
http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/hw.html#HEARTWORM%20TREATMENT%20-%20DOGS

Good luck!

Answer 2

1. That is a low price already; I suspect you are getting a price break from your vet.

2. The cure is very hard on the dog and usually liver and kidney function will have to be checked prior to treatment.

3. There is a possibility that the positive test result was for a different microfilaria-producing worm that lives in the chest wall and is harmless - since the treatment is so harsh, you might ask your vet about another (more expensive) test that can differentiate the two.

Answer 3

This sounds like a reasonable price to treat heartworms, especially with the treatment process that vets go through.

First, the adult worms must be destroyed by injections, involving two to three days of hospitalization, normally. Secondly, any immature forms in the bloodstream, if present, must be eliminated four weeks later. A dog who already has permanent body damage from heartworm infection may die of these complications even with intensive treatment.

Your pets activity must be severely restricted for up to 8 weeks after treatment. Short on-leash walks are the only exercises allowed. No rough play, extended barking or other excitement. Call the Doctor if ANY changes in behavior or attitude arise at home.

http://andoveranimal.com/heartworm2.html

With that process $300 does not sound bad, especially if your dog will need to be hospitalized. I will stick with my current vet and pay the price. I know in this state that process would run more. Good Luck.

Answer 4

most vets will provide different services for heartworm treatments. the chest rads can sometimes tell how progressed the heartworm disease is, and it also gives a good look at the heart and lungs itself. the bloodwork they can do is usually just a general health panel which checks the liver, kidneys, glucose levels and a cbc which does red/white blood cell counts, just to see how sick she is and IF she can withstand the treatment itself. the shot they give in the series of three is a good option, they usually put the dog on antibiotics first before starting the treatment.. and when they start the treatment they put the dog on a monthly heartworm pill which kills the heartworms not killed by the injection. once the three injections are finished and you follow up in four months with another heartworm test.. it should never happen again.. unless you miss pills. but if you buy your heartworm pills from the vet clinic.. and your pet gets heartworms again most of the drug companies will pay for the treatment. and as for the price of the films, a lot of places usually charge around 50$ for just one radiograph.

Answer 5

Heartworm is a serious disease. These worms live in the heart and vessles of the heart as adults. The little baby worms swin around in blood. 300$ sounds like a fair price for treatment. Heartworms are not like intestinal worms where you can just give them a pill and tehy are fine. This involves injecting very expensive medicine in the muscles along their back. Most of they time they are kept in the hosptial for a few days to make sure they dont' have a reaction.

Answer 6

I know the cost sounds high, and the treatment does not always work.
I had a dog about 15 years ago who had heart worms.
He was a puppy and we found out when we first took he to a vet to get him started on the heart worm med.
We paid for the treatment, by borrowing the money.
He started to get better for a few weeks, then died.
We never regretted it though.

Answer 7

Your best bet is going to be just to call around to different vets and humane societies and see what they charge. Any heartworm treatment is goin to be expensive though. It is a very serious problem that can take many treatments before it is cured. You only other option would be to get heartguard and use it as directed. It does VERY slowly kill heartworms but depending on how bad the infestation is, it may not help too much.

Answer 8

I have seen treatment cost more. The fact is, heartworms are fatal. $300 or your dogs life??
There is no other way to treat. Medications are prescription only. I know you are not looking for a lecture on prevention right now, but is so very important. Please do not forget that if you have other dogs now or in the future.

Answer 9

Talk to your vet about the treatment, risks as well. Some dogs have deadly reactions to the treatments. You can't mess around with this. You can ask your vet about treating this dog with high dose Ivermectin before the other treatment. $300 sounds fair for treatment.

Answer 10

You don't want to mess with heart worms. I agree that, that is a little high, but if you don't get it treated, within five years your dog will die. It's not like intestinal parasites where you can get a pill and the dog'll pass them. It's an IV drip of medication, the worms are in his heart. You're very lucky they caught it early, and it is preventable with medications like Heartguard.