Heartworms in dogs are passed on when mosquitos bite already infected dogs, thereby becoming carriers, and move on to bite a new host and cause infection. Veterinarians can sometimes disagree on the preferred approach to treatment, and initial investigations using X-Rays and blood tests greatly influence their treatment method. The category of infection--whether a dog is mildly affected, affected or very affected--will determine their approach, as will the age and general health of the dog at the time of diagnosis.
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Prevention
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Preventative pills During colder times of the year, the risk of a dog getting heartworms is minimal but, as weather patterns can change quickly, many veterinarians now adopt a policy of always keeping a dog on a course of preventative drugs--given once a month usually in pill form--throughout the year. Ivermectin is the drug of choice to stop any new infections and is the active ingredient in common preventative medications such as Heartgard®, Ivomec® and Acarexx®.
Treatment
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Attacking heartworms The approach to treatment is to first elimate any existing immature worms or larvae called microfilaria using Ivermectin for up to three months, so that a dog coming in for treatment at the veterinary hospital is carrying only adult heartworms and no young heartworms are present take their place. Your veterinarian may choose to inject your dog with Prednisone too at this stage as this is an anti-inflammatory drug that will help your dog's condition for a short-term period.
Adult Heartworms
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Once your dog arrives for treatment at the hospital, melarsomine (Immiticide)--an effective treatment against adult heartworms--is injected deep into a mustle twice, 24 hours between each injection. Veterinarians, depending on the severity of a dog's case, may inject melarsomine and then follow this with two injections 30 days later.
Post-Op Care
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Out of the woods Shortening the lives of the heartworms and killing them completely is not an instant fix as they take time to die. Killing the heartworms all at once is too risky to a pet's health. The time it takes the worms to leave the body and obstructions or complications that may arise as they do requires regular visits to the veterinarian to monitor the post-op condition.
Antibiotics
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After the course of treatment, your veterinarian may prescribe a course of antibiotics, which may be given as an injection or in pill form to help fight any infection and provide a boost for a dog's natural defence mechanisms.
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