Dog tested positive for heartworm! Help!

[KalamazooMom]

We've had our dog Lacey for almost year. We got her from the animal rescue. She was a stray before that. She had all her shots and tests before we got her and was negative for heartworm at that point. We've had her on a monthly heartworm preventative (Interceptor). My kids are TOTALLY attached to her. I can't tell you how much that dog means to them. I got her 2 weeks after their dad and I divorced and she has been SO helpful to them in making this transition.

I took her in this afternoon for her annual tests and shots, and she tested positive for heartworm. My DD was crying as soon as we got that news.

Lacey has never shown any symptoms of heartworm and is otherwise very healthy. So the vet gave us 2 options. We could do nothing. She said there's a chance she'll never be symptomatic. Or we could do the heartworm treatment which she explained requires x-rays and various other tests and 2 days of hospitalization followed by 30 days of rest. The cost of the treatment is about $700. If we do nothing now and she gets sick later they can still do the treatment but the risk of complications goes up. And if she gets too sick they can't do the treatment.

I have no idea what to do. Any words of advice or experience?

[Doodlebugsmom]

Ugh! I'm so sorry.

Can they run the test again just to make sure that she's positive? Since she's so young, I would treat her now if she is positive. (If it's within your budget.) If she was an older dog, I might say to hold off. My sister's 12 year-old beagle tested positive over the summer. She got her treated for it. I don't recall an overnight stay being involved, but it did cost the same as you quoted. The little beagle responded very well to the treatment, but she did lose her hearing soon after. I'm not sure if that's a common complication of the treatment or not, but I don't see how the two aren't related.

Good luck with this!

[KalamazooMom]

Thanks. Yes, I didn't think to ask at the vet's office but I did wonder if it was worth testing her again. I was going to compile a list of questions, so that's the first one.

I forgot to mention that we really don't know how old she is since she was a stray. But it most likely about 4 years old.

[Ola_]

There is an option to use regular heartworm preventatives (only certain ones I believe), which won't kill the old worms but will kill the young ones as they reproduce. This way eventually they will all be gone as they die off naturally.

Ask your vet about that, I believe it is less risky than doing the aggressive treatment though it takes longer. I like it better than the option to do nothing also.

[mesa]

I know heartgard will pay for treatment if you've kept up with the pills and annual tests. I'd look into whether Interceptor does too.

[KalamazooMom]

Originally Posted by mesa

I know heartgard will pay for treatment if you've kept up with the pills and annual tests. I'd look into whether Interceptor does too.

Thanks. Yes, as a matter of fact the vet's office called tonight. They said they called Novartis, who makes the Interceptor and that they will likely pay $250 toward the treatment. So that helps of course, but it's still not cheap.

[Noelle C.]

Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, rescues can help with the costs of treating things like this.

[desertpenguin]

i googled and eventually came across this link: heartworm treatment and prevention - with herbs. hth.

[KalamazooMom]

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, rescues can help with the costs of treating things like this.

Thanks. Yes, Lacey's foster mom from the animal rescue works at the vet office and she said she'd ask. I feel kind of guilty about that because I know they aren't exactly rolling in cash either.