OK, dogs can get heartworms if bitten by a mosquito carrying same. The worms grow in the bloodstream and can clog the dogs heart causing problems up to and including death.
If found in time, often by a yearly blood test, the situation can be treated with drugs that kill the worms without quite killing the dog.
Here’s my question. How does the body get rid of the worms from the bloodstream? With intestinal worms, they are pass via the same exit used by everything else the dog eats. But how are they eliminated from the blood vessels. Do the same blood cells that handle bacteria and such eventually break them down to a small enough size that it’s just not a problem?
The best method is regular use of heartworm prophylactic. Do NOT depend on periodic testing. Treating heartworm infestation is very expensive and extremely hard on the dog. There also may be lasting problems from the infestation and/or treatment.
You can get heartworm preventative tablets now that protect for a month at a time so you don’t have to give them daily. You can also get chewables that most dogs snarf up like a treat.
The heartworm treatment (arsenic) kills the worms. After the worms die, they decompose and break up into the bloodstream. Eventually they are absorbed into the dog’s body.
I repeat - if you live in a heartworm-prone area, GIVE YOUR DOGS HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVE. I’ve known dogs that were treated for heartworm, and dogs that died of heartworm. Both situations were nasty. Just give your dogs the damn pills.
My dog gets preventive medication year round. No issues there! She is also tested once a year to be sure the prevention is working as designed.
My question was prompted by viewing a Golden Retreiver rescue web site that mentioned that this dog or that dog had had heartworms but had completed treatment. Made me wonder how the body got rid of the worm remains.
Arsenic is no longer used for treatment of heartworms at my clinic. The new drugs are far safer and easier on the dogs, but are still dangerous and are very expensive.
Most of the monthly heartworm preventatives take care of intestinal parasites, also, so you are getting more bang for your buck. Every dog should be on heartworm preventative.
You used to have to give it to the dog daily? When did this change? I’ve had dogs for ten years, and I always got month-long tablets.
I’m really glad for this thread, because it made me have an oh-god moment, as in: “Oh God! I forgot to give the dogs their pills!” I don’t remember how long it’s been, actually-- maybe since the end of the summer for the older two.
Do I need to take the dogs in for tests, or could I safely resume dosage immediately?
PREVENT infestation rather than take the chance on having to undergo and pay for expensive treatment.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
A bonus is taking care of other pptential problems at the same time.
I took in a stray dog with heartworms and had him treated. I had to keep him kenneled pretty much all the time for 30 days. The treatment kills the worms, and then they break apart and are carried away in the blood stream. In the beginning, large chunks of worm can break off and lodge in the lungs if the dog’s heart beats too fast.
Thanks for the information. I figured the body took care of them. And I’m still interested in more details in how that’s done. What cells etc.
I am a little disappointed that redtail23 responded in a way that sounded as though he/she was chastizing me as though I wasn’t taking proper precautions with my furry family member. If I misunderstood the meaning of the post, I apologize.
And I’m glad that Lissa was reminded to treat her dog.
Lissa, is my age showing? Yes, the pills were originally daily - I didn’t realize the monthly doses had been out that long. Seems like only yesterday…
The dogs I knew that died of heartworm were some of the first cases around here (Oklahoma); IIRC, at the time there wasn’t a treatment.
I’d get 'em tested. The Ivermectin prophylactic dose can kill the dogs if they’ve picked up heartworm.
GaryM - sorry, didn’t mean to offend. I wasn’t even sure you had furry friends from your OP. It was just the way your post was phrased - I wouldn’t want anyone reading to think that it was OK to skip the preventative because they could just get their dog tested periodically. (My spouse worked at an emergency vet - you wouldn’t believe the stupid things people do.)
All I know is that the dead worms collect in the lungs, as samudra said, and are eventually re-absorbed. Try Googling for “heartworm treatment”, there seem to be lots of sites that discuss it.
Years back we used to stop the preventative treatment after the first frost, around November, and start again in March, after a blood test. This is in Eastern Missouri.
About 8-9 years ago our vet suggested going year round. He said there had been evidence on mosquito activity on warm days in December/January. So now my furry family members are protected year round.
My vet has a chart of heartworm occurances by state - I was very suprised at how many cases there were in the Northern states. I thought only we Southerners were afflicted by those nasty mosquitoes!
I’m not a vet, but if that many months have passed you might be better off getting the test. My vet explained that if you give the dog the monthly preventave treatment and it already has heartworms, it’ll kill the heartworms and mess the dog up. Not the same thing as trying to kill heartworms you know are there. I think the blood test here is only about $20 and they do it right in the office.
What about collies, shelties and Australian shepherds? I hear that Ivermectin, used to treat heartworms in Heartgard, is deadly to those breeds.
What is the alternative for them?
Yup, same thing happened here. I don’t remember when they switched to year-round for sure, I think it was maybe 15 years ago.
Are you kidding? Mosquitos are the state bird of Minnesota! I’ve heard similar things about Alaskan mosquitos.
I guess heartworm is spreading northward and westward. As I said, I remember when it first started here - it was only in the eastern part of the state, then spread across. At first we only did treatment in the summer, then it was spring-fall, then spring-fall with testing before starting up again, then all year.
I get them tested every spring, but for the life of me, I can’t remember how much my vet charges for it. I do know that I never leave there with a bill of less than $70-- that’s only for one dog and I have* three*.
Yes, the pills were originally daily - I didn’t realize the monthly doses had been out that long. Seems like only yesterday…