This is what the pound advised when I adopted him. He seems fine after one months treatment.
2007-04-17 22:46:44 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
You need to continue the medication every month. Vets give a heart worm treatment to infected dogs that requires a hospital stay, which can become expensive, and a few days of "keeping them quiet" when you get them home. If you are treating a puppy or young dog, just how are you supposed to "keep them quiet" short of sedation???
Many vets are now recommending just using the monthly treatment. new research has determined that it will kill existing heart worms and their larvae. Less dangerous for your dog, much less expensive, and they REALLY like the heart worm meds!!! Plus, it prevents an uninfected dog from becoming infected.It's a win/win!
2007-04-17 22:56:18 · answer #1 · answered by Darla G 5 · 5⤊ 3⤋
Heartworm preventative is actually used in the the treatment of heartworm infestations. Typically the testing for heartworm is accurate. However, if you missed a pill for a month or so and your dog was exposed to mosquitoes, it could potentially get a heartworm infestation. If your dog is vomiting it should probably be seen by a vet. I would think that this vomiting is not related to the heartworm pill if it is one your pet has used before. If it is a new type of heartworm pill for your dog, then the vomiting could be an allergic reaction to it.
2016-05-17 23:27:37 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do NOT continue to treat a heartworm condition without the support, advice and direction of a veterinarian. I cannot fully stress how important this is.
Not only will a preventative likely fail to entirely get rid of the problem, but if the dosing is not right you could seriously harm your dog. Dogs with severe heartworm, particularly, can die FROM THE TREATMENT not just the parasite itself. A too-rapid kill-off can be dangerous, and a not-aggressive-enough approach can be fruitless. While preventative pills ARE sometimes used to eliminate an existing heartworm condition, do not administer it for this reason without the direction of a vet.
Please take your dog to a veterinarian.
2007-04-17 23:21:13 · answer #3 · answered by maxximumjoy 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
If you have not already done so, please take your dog to a licensed veterinarian and have him tested for heartworm and also make sure that all of his vaccinations are up-to-date.
If the shelter told you to give him heartworm medication to "cure" his heartworms, they are partially right. You can use the medication to cure a mild case of heartworm. However, you should have your dog examined by a vet to determine the best medication and treatment to make sure your dog is cured and remains healthy.
Also, take your dog in for re-testing every so often, and continue giving one heartworm preventive each month to prevent reinfestation.
2007-04-17 23:58:02 · answer #4 · answered by Abby K9 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
If he already has heartworms, preventative can kill him. He need vet treatment and a different kind of medication. This is why heartworm preventative is only sold by vets after the heartworm test comes out negative. Stop using the treatment and get the dog to the vet.
2007-04-17 23:25:27 · answer #5 · answered by bzzflygirl 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
You should really talk to your vet about this. Or at the very least, ask to speak directly to the vet at the shelter about it. While some very mild cases of heartworm can be safely and effectively treated with preventative medication, it can actually kill them if they have a heavy worm load.
2007-04-18 00:47:38 · answer #6 · answered by ainawgsd 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The pound just wanted you to take him home. The preventative can't do much good unless he has some help from the vet. There is a shot that he will need eventually to "cure" his worm problem. An ounce of prevention is only worth a pound of cure if the problem doesn't already exist. The preventative has the ability to control the problem to some degree but the shots are fairly cheap and though he will be sick for a couple of days it will "cure" the problem. Then keep him on the preventative to prevent the problem from reoccurring.
2007-04-17 22:57:45 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Unless things have changed in the past 5years I was under the same impression as maxximum. Maybe worth a phone call to your vet for his opinion.
2007-04-17 23:41:08 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Call a veterinarian. NOW! You can treat a dog this way if you do it right. No shelter in it's right mind should be giving veterinary medical advice. I'd give a jingle to the state veterinary board.
2007-04-18 00:40:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I would check with the vet to make sure this is appropriate treatment for the dog....while in some cases it is, in others it is not.
2007-04-18 00:04:58 · answer #10 · answered by Great Dane Lover 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋