Just adopted this hunk of love! Yesterday he was diagnosed with heart worms. Has anyone got experience with treating this?

htracewell

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Mar 29, 2014
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2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Jul 28, 2011
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Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
Hello .... :welcome3: to EBN!!! Thank you for adopting and giving your boy a new chance at a great life.

i have no experience with heart worms but I am sure we have a member with some advice to help you along.
 

dieMuttivonBifi

Well-known member
May 25, 2013
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from the Philippines but residing in Germany
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Bifi (beef-ii)
wow he's a beauty! bet he's already spoiled! lol.
 

Manydogs

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May 2, 2013
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Pet Owner Resources | Canine Heartworm I had two dogs back in the 1960's who had heartworms. At that time, we hadn't ever heard of them! The treatment has not changed since then.
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Canine Heartworm Disease





Treatments

Topical moxidectin is now FDA-approved for use in heartworm-positive dogs to eliminate microfilariae. No adverse reactions due to high microfilarial counts were observed in the laboratory or field studies conducted for approval of this label claim.
Adult Heartworm Therapy (Adulticide Therapy)

There is currently one drug approved by the FDA for use in dogs for the elimination of adult heartworms. This drug is an organic arsenical compound. Dogs receiving this drug therapy will typically have had a thorough pretreatment evaluation of its condition and will then be hospitalized during the administration of the drug.
Melarsomine dihydrochloride (Immiticide[SUP]®[/SUP], Merial)has demonstrated a higher level of effectiveness and safety than any other adult heartworm treatment previously available. It is administered by deep intramuscular injection into the lumbar muscles. For complete information on the classification and treatment for heartworm infected dogs using this product, consult your veterinarian.
Post-Adulticide Complications

Prior to treating the adult heartworms, your dog will be put on a 4 week course of doxycycline (or a related antibiotic). This helps reduce the viability of the parasite and decreases the reaction to the dying and decaying heartworms following adulticide treatment.
The primary post-adulticide complication is the development of severe pulmonary thromboembolism. Pulmonary thromboembolism results from the obstruction of blood flow through pulmonary arteries due to the presence of dead heartworms and lesions in the arteries and capillaries of the lungs. If heartworm adulticide treatment is effective, some degree of pulmonary thromboembolism will occur.
When dead worms are numerous and arterial injury is severe, widespread obstruction of arteries can occur. Clinical signs most commonly observed include fever, cough, hemoptysis (blood in the sputum) and potentially sudden death. It is extremely important to not allow exercise in any dog being treated for heartworms. Often dogs with severe infections will also require the administration of anti-inflammatory doses of corticosteroids.
Elimination of Microfilariae

The most effective drugs for this purpose are the macrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintics, i.e.,milbemycin oxime, selamectin, moxidectin and ivermectin. These drugs are the active ingredients in commonly used heartworm preventives. Although their usage as microfilaricides has not been approved by the FDA, they are widely used by veterinarians as there are no approved microfilaricidal drugs currently available. It is recommended that microfilariae positive dogs being treated with these macrocyclic lactones be hospitalized for at least eight hours following treatment for observation of possible adverse reactions, including those resulting from rapid death of the microfilariae.
Circulating microfilariae usually can be eliminated within a few weeks by the administration of the ML-type drugs mentioned above. Today however, the most widely used microfilaricidal treatment is to simply administer ML preventives as usual, and the microfilariae will be cleared slowly over a period of about six to nine months.
 

Ftse 100

Bully lov'in wonder from down under
Mar 25, 2012
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Ftse
:welcome2; to EBN thank you for adopting him and its sad he has heartworm I hope his treatment goes well.
 

ChrisRN

Flip'n'bullies stole my heart!
Jan 10, 2013
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Muskegon, Michigan, United States
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Mabel (20??-2017) Ariel
My daughter has had experience with heartworms in her foster dogs. The treatment is pretty brutal, but her dogs have come through it well.
 

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