In-depth Analysis of Dog Heartworm | Understanding, prevention, and mitigations
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- Опубліковано 3 чер 2024
- Wondering if you should give your dog heartworm prevention? Heartworm disease is a parasitic infection in dogs that is preventable, but also potentially deadly. Today we are going to talk about the lifecycle of the heartworm, how to prevent it, and how to treat if you dog comes up positive for heartworm disease. I have outlined the chapter sections below so feel free to skip around :)
My hope is to help make reliable information more available and accessible for pet owners, so if you have any topics that you would like me to talk about, please let me know in the comments below!
00:00 Intro
01:10 Essentials
07:25 Dirofilaria Immitis
11:55 Treatment of Heartworm
21:15 Overall Outlook
For more information, check out the links below!
American Heartworm Society
www.heartwormsociety.org/
Companion Vector-Borne Diseases
www.cvbd.org/
Canine Heartworm Antigen Tests
www.ksvdl.org/resources/news/...
American Heartworm Society Protocol vs Slow Kill
www.heartwormsociety.org/vete... - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
Best explanation of this disease I have come across, thank you so much 👏👏👏👏🇦🇺
Fabulous UA-cam channel. I’m a research professional in a field unrelated to medicine, so I find it very helpful for a professional vet to go into the actual details of the disease rather than water it down to 3 sentences. Thank you for taking the time to make these!
I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks for appreciating and checking out the channel :)
Thank you! This helps me understand my rescue dog's journey!
Happy to help :) best of luck with your dog!!
Thank you for your information.
Thank you very much for this!
Thank very much
#1, Interceptor plus has a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer! There’s an article in the veterinarian journey titled “ Putting profits before dogs, how one company killed thousands of dogs for profit”. #2. “ A topical treatment can be messy, if you have small kids you might not want them touching the drug”!!!!!!! But you would put it on your dog!!!! Are you kidding me
Hi, I would like to know how the worms once they are death are going out of the blood flow
When you say you will use two different types of test to confirm a positive test, do you mean only if you haven't seen the microfilaria on the slide after a positive test?
Dear Everyday Vet,
Do you have any information about the "slow kill method" referred to at about 16:55 in the background text of your video called "In-depth Analysis of Dog Heartworm"? When is the "slow kill method" used and why?
I wouldn't recommend it. Basically, you are preventing further heartworm infections while waiting for any existing worms to die off. In the meantime, the worms can continue to cause damage within the blood vessels. It isn't a method that I have ever pursued
My vet quoted me close to $5000 for the fast kill method. Even the slow kill method is expensive, just spread over a longer period of time! The disease is bad, and the one FDA approved treatment is far from ideal imo.
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My 2 yo rescue was just dx with heartworm. We are following the protocol you outlined. My question is, how long after the injections is the dog on "extreme" exercise restrictions? We are currently on day 3 of the doxy/pred and are on a "low exercise " restriction at this time. Thank you! Im glad i found your channel
sorry to hear that! I usually exercise restrict for several weeks past the final injection but it admittedly depends a bit on how the individual dog is responding to the treatments. Best of luck ♥️
Thank you for combining all this data including treatment details I could not decipher from the AHS. I am looking to adopt a rescue dog, (if a good fit) one consideration is a 2yr old (original home zero vacc or prev care) - - rescue said no symptoms but tested positive and turned out to have just finished a treatment in July (Immiticide & Doxycycline) now tested negative in January. Per the timeline seems like they should have been tested for microfilariae in November? Perhaps because a rescue... Does this pup need to be tested again prior to one year mark just in case? Pup is in a loving Foster home and is bonding with the family (med to low energy, but could be situational) so I am wondering if stress of moving to a forever home would trigger some residual heart or lung damage on that sweetie and we should look to help out one of the other older pups instead. Any input most appreciated!
The microfilaria test can be helpful to know if you need a preventative that kills them as well but many of the preventatives do kill the microfilaria anyway. The most important part is to do the 3 injection protocol. Usually the doxycycline is done for a month, there's a month waiting period, 1st injection, wait a month, 2nd injection, then 3rd injection the next day. If they only did one treatment in July, they may have gotten lucky, but id be inclined to test again in 6 months just to make sure
@@EverydayVet Thank you for responding, that pup is no longer available; but still very good info, we got lucky and able to help another :)
would you suggest the arsenic shots ? my dogs heartworm test came back positive and the shots sound horrible from what ive heard.
In most cases, I would recommend the shot. The worms can become very long and can cause a lot of damage in the heart and lungs. Heavy work burdens can even be fatal. The injections come with their own danger too but there isn't a good alternative :/
@@EverydayVet my vet wanted to do the 2 and 3rd shot on the same day .. but in your video you said they should be 24 hours after eachother .. does it work the same or what ?
I follow the protocol from the American Heartworm Society and they do not recommend doing the second and third injections on the same day
@@EverydayVet ok thank you!
Best of luck for your dog ❤️
Hi doc! About the dogs taking Doxy and Pred, do they only have to take it from day 0-28?
Don't they need to be taking it for the whole duration of Tx up until the last injection of Melarsomine is given?
The doxycycline is used to kill Wolbachia, which is a bacteria that is thought to help the worm survive. Since it's used for bacteria, not the actual worm, it's only needed for the first 28 days. I follow the American Heartworm Society guidelines and it looks like the updated 2020 recommendations have prednisone given as a tapered dose several times throughout the course of treatment
In the dog guidelines, Table 2 of the AHS - Recommended Heartworm Management Protocol is very helpful :)
@@EverydayVeta bacteria thought to help the worms survive or does it help the worms survive? sounds like no one’s really sure 🤔
Daenerys Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, called Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons.
😹
I came here in hopes of information. I took our puppers to vet and they readily handed over the nexguard and heart guard however Im terrified to give her these after reading online. I have a 13.5 week maltipoo and she's had some instances where she seems to have some type of the 2nd phase clonic activity as noted in seizures however mostly at night and have been mostly unable to get videos of it for diagnosis but am terrified about giving her the provided meds as it says they are considered neuro toxic so had thought about trying the topicals such as advantage as I heard it did well as a topical for maltipoo breeds. i am a brand new pet or puppy owner and definitely understand risk of heart worms and we have been doing all the research we can to learn and become educated and I am a nurse for humans lol so i definitely understand the risk but would love to hear additional thoughts regarding the meds. not sure if i will continue my current vet as i kinda feel dismissed as far as my concerns with my puppy since i am unable to provide video but still afraid to give the current meds and did research and said the advantage topicals could be a better fit!!! thanks i look forward to watching more information from here!
Sorry for the delayed response! In terms of neurologic type effects, most products are well tolerated, but some pets do experience that side effect. It would typically come from the flea/tick prevention rather than the heartworm prevention. A good option for your pet might be to stick to 2 separate products and give them on different days so you can see if/which one she has a reaction to. heartgard is a great choice! interceptor plus is another great option and both are typically tolerated quite well. When I see any intolerance to a heartworm prevention, it is usually stomach upset linked to the flavoring but even that is quite rare. Advantage multi is a very good product as well but doesn't cover tick prevention so might not be the best choice depending on geographic region. Still be careful with advantage though because any flea/tick product could potentially have neurologic effects. Sometimes, it is a matter of finding which class of medication your individual pet tolerates best. I know it can be scary, but depending on the flea/tick population in your area, I wouldn't want to risk flea bite anemia or tick diseases. Hopefully that helps :) best of luck!!
If a female dog can’t be spayed , is there a way to prevent pyometra ?
In Austria and germany we have something they call „slow kill“ method, where dogs get to take antibiotics for 1 month and than they have to take „worm preventives“ for at least 1,5 years. What do you think about this method?
The slow kill method has been shown to be ineffective so I don't recommend it :/
The only caveat that I would add is that sometimes we don't have access to the same medications in the United States as in Europe. That could be the case in this instance and it may be that you have access to a different prevention that does kill off the adult worms. With the monthly prevention we use here though, slow kill essentially just involves waiting for the worm to die off on its own. That gives it time to continue growing in the chest and can result in further damage to the heart and lungs.
@@EverydayVet thank you so much 🙏
Hi Doctor, I adopted my dog from a rescue knowing that she had Heartworm and she was treated and given the all clear after months of treatment. Although I was religious about giving her Heartworm preventative (heart guard) monthly she still managed to get Heartworm again which was diagnosed late September. She is currently taking Doxycycline. Have you ever run into a case where a doc got Heartworm twice even though on preventative? I did have two tests done by two different vets but I found out after the fact that they use the same test. Should I have. 3rd test done with another vet?
It's not something that I've run into before, but it is possible depending on the prevalence in the region. Unfortunately, it's also possible that the infection may not have fully cleared up. The testing isn't perfect and if there was a low worm burden after treatment, it's possible that the test after treatment may have been a false negative.
In terms of testing, treatment, and timing of everything, I usually follow the American Heartworm Society protocol. They have a really nice table that outlines when everything should be done
@@EverydayVet Thank you for your reply.
Best of luck with everything ❤️ You may also want to check with the heartgard company because sometimes they are able to help with treatment costs depending on the circumstances
@@EverydayVet Unfortunately they would not. The original vet I worked with through the adoption agency who completed the treatment had my dog on Interceptor but once I took my dog to my vet (after treatment) they had put her on Heartguard therefore because she switched heartguard preventitve neither company will cover it ( I'm also wondering if the switch in heart worm preventative might have had something to do with my dog contracting heartworm again??). Therefore I will be paying for the entire treatment which stinks but luckily I am able to afford to pay it.
I'm sorry to hear that :(
Dr. Can these natural supplements be used effectively & safely to be a heart worm preventative? My vet started our 5 month old puppy on Intercepter, it’s expensive considering it’s every month for life!
Wormwood
Coconut Oil
Raw carrots
Black Walnut Extract
Raw garlic
I would definitely not take the risk if using any of those natural supplements and some of those are toxic to dogs. I would recommend checking with your vet to see what the available options are so you can find a prescription that fits your budget :)
Do we need to worry about worms for other pets like cats and rabbits?
Rabbits are not susceptible, but cats unfortunately are :( cats don't get it as frequently as dogs but we really don't have good treatment options for them once they do get it and heartworm disease can be fatal for cats. I like to use revolution for cats because it prevents heartworm disease but also covers fleas, and intestinal parasites!
So what do you do if heartworm medicine makes your dog sick
Are you referring to the preventative medication? Or did you mean the injection used to kill the heartworm if the dog is infected?
@@EverydayVet it was the Triheart preventive monthly chewables. I have a 6 mos old mastiff pup, 80lbs. They gave him the 51-100lb dosage. I think it was the ivermectin in it that made him sick. They tested him right before they prescribed the pill. Of course it came back negative and I gave him the pill.. The very next day he was vomiting and had diarrhea and salivating for 2 days following his pill. That was over a week ago, and I'm happy to say he's fine now, but next month is coming soon, and not sure what to do. Of course I will talk with vet, however once a pet takes a med and has a reaction, there's not much one can do.
I was thinking about voiding the heartworm and just getting him tested twice a year. It takes 5 mos for large to reach full maturity. A good immune system helps fight the worms, however the heartworm pill I think can reek havoc on his immune system. Its a catch 22. Maybe there's a more holistic approach 🤔
Honestly, you'd probably be better off with just picking a different preventative. There are plenty that don't have ivermectin as the active ingredient in them and topcials would completely skip the GI tract. I can see why you might think that just testing more would be ideal because then you don't have to worry about the preventative, but you also have to consider what you would do if he does test positive. The injection to kill the adult worm is an arsenic based compound and is very rough on their system, and I wouldn't consider it a good alternative to monthly preventative
@@EverydayVet yes, that makes perfect sense. I think I will try other ingredient and topicals. Thank you so much for the information.
This how you spend all your money to “save” your dog, and “protect “ them, and give them the “best” treatment possible. It’s your money and your companion, do whatever you think is right, but this remedy guarantees one thing for sure…. You got challenged to value your dogs life over finances, but does the fact that you went broke mean it was the beat???? Wake up!!!!
Jfc it’s sooo expensive. 500$ a shot=1500$ + extras
Cost me 1800$
yes :( treatment is quite pricey. I'm hoping this video will help increase awareness so more people know of the dangers. The prevention for dogs is so much cheaper and safer, but a lot of people simply aren't aware. I hope this video can make a difference!
@@EverydayVet thank you, it did. I had to euthanize my Stryder 4 weeks ago. He was deemed to old for the injections. He was already too sick when he rescued me. I had only 7 months with him. He’d had such a hard life and the horrible scars to show for it. I hope I made the end as good as it could be. If you have an animal and are not using a preventative you should be arrested immediately for severe animal cruelty