Heartworm disease can inflict severe damage to a dog and even cause death. Spread by mosquitoes, heartworms begin in the bloodstream as larvae and then attack the right ventricle of the heart when they are mature, states Dogheartworm.org. If the worms are left to reproduce, they can cause extreme damage to the heart and cause the body's organ system to fail. Heartworms are easy to prevent, but complicated and even risky to treat; however, it is better to take the chance and attempt treatment rather than allow the worms to take over your dog's heart and life.
Things You'll Need
- Heartworm preventative
- Melarsomine
Instructions
Administer heartworm preventative to your dog for four months, if the infestation is less severe, Peteducation.com recommends. The preventative will destroy any migrating larvae and decrease the size of the female worms. The dose of heartworm preventative depends upon the weight of the dog.
Inject melarsomine into the dog's back muscles, once the preventative has been given for the recommended time. Melarsomine is a newer type of treatment that has fewer side-effects than medicines used previously. Melarsomine kills the adult heartworms.
Administer two more injections of melarsomine five weeks after the initial dose is given. Perform a heartworm test on the patient four months after the last injection is administered.
Administer another round of treatment if the dog still tests positive for heartworms, states Peteducation.com. Further treatment could be required if a dog contains a large number of worms or if the worms are particularly resistant to treatment.
Give a melarsomine injection before administering the heartworm preventative, if the infestation is severe. It is possible the dog could require surgery to remove the worms if large numbers of them are present.
Restrict your dog from any activity during and four weeks after the heartworm treatment. As the heartworms die, they can obstruct the blood vessels to the dog's lungs, causing fever, cough and even heart failure. Keep your dog in a crate during this time if restraint is difficult.