heart worm

[Debbie Doo]

Hi I'm new here. I love all the pixs I've seen so far

mmyorkie, my Smokie looks like your's, they seem to be all differant. I'm a first time yorkie owner.

Anyway to make a long story short, my sister-in-law found Smokey in her barn. We went to visit and...... brought him home with us, this was the weekend after Thanksgiving 2004. We gave him 2 baths a hair cut, his hair was a mess, it was easier to cut it. He looks better now Someone has spent time with him because he is very well behaved. We had to potty break him and is doing very well. He dosen't bark at all. Very sweet little guy, 7lbs. Since then I took him to a clinic, where they give shots and test for Heart worm. Well I got the shock of my life, he was Heart worm positive. So i'm going to call the Vet Mon morning.

Does anyone know what is involved in getting rid of Heart worms. All I know that it's expensive!! I'm going to do it because I'm already in love!!! Oh forgot to say they think he's around 2yrs old. His teeth are in good shape, everything except the heart worms. Also the Vet at the clinic said she didn't hear anything wrong when she listened to his heart. So I'm hoping we caught it early.
Sorry so long. Smokie and Debbie Doo

[Gypsy Rose]

Oh I hope they've caught it early too and that Smokie will be fine - do update us! I'm afraid I know nothing about heartworm as we do not have it here in Wales but wnted to welcome you to Yorkie Talk! My name's Ana and I am servant to Gypsy Rose aged 18 months and Gizzie Chavi aged 6 months!

[Higgin's Mom]

I had an English Setter who recovered from heart worm. This was back in the early 80s and the treatment then was 7 shots of arsenic at precise intervals (vet has to stay in attendance 24 hrs around the clock), then complete crate rest for two months. After 6 shots, Tiffany's kidneys began to fail, so they had to stop. She rested for two months and then had the 7 shot series again, and two more months of rest. It is an awful disease, but she completely recovered to her old energetic self.

HOWEVER, they may have newer, less toxic treatments now. I so hope they do and that your little Smokie will do well. I've already said a little prayer for him.....and one for you, too.

Hugs from Higgins and me....and welcome to YorkieTalk.

[lucynfred]

Good luck with the heartworm treatment. Maybe the arsenic shots are a thing of the past. Wishing you and your baby comfort and joy, and a warm welcome! Keep us posted as to what treatments are available and how Smokie's doing.

[bettyeanne]

Welcome, Debbie and Smokie! So sorry he is sick ... hope the newer treatments will have him back as good as new! Toto and I will remember him in our prayers! Please keep us updated.

[orinskye]

ummmmmmmmm. .......... arsenic!!!....... geez.... i think they have much better ways now, i believe it comes in pill form???? it doesnt HAVE to be expensive debbie ...... you could take youre yorkie to a low cost clinic and the medication and vet visits......should be cheaper ther......
These are the options i foudn online:
1. Two injections of Immiticide followed by a treatment of ivermectin in 2 weeks, and then placed on Heartguard Plus with a retest in 6months.

2. Two injections of Immiticide followed by a retest in 4 weeks and placed on Heartguard Plus(no follow up of ivermectin recommended) and retested again in 6 months.

3. Put on Heartguard Plus and not treat the adult worms since a weak positive indicates a very minor infestation. The explanation is to prevent any new worms and let the small number of adults die over time.

And Also a little article about the disease:
HEARTWORM TREATMENT INFORMATION
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in dogs. It is caused by a parasite called Dirofilaria immitus. These worms live in the heart and adjacent blood vessels of infected dogs. The disease is transmitted by mosquitos. In Texas, ALL dogs (even those that spend all their time indoors) need to be on heartworm preventive YEAR-ROUND. Do not stop giving preventive in the winter months. Dogs need to be put on preventive for the rest of their lives. We recommend yearly heartworm checks so that if a dog is found to be infected, we can treat the heartworms before they cause damage to the heart and other internal organs. The most common clinical sign of heartworm disease usually is no sign at all. Other signs include chronic coughing, tiring easily, unwillingness to exercise, difficulty breathing, lethargy, and enlarging abdomen. Dogs who have heartworms should not be put on heartworm preventive unless you have talked to a veterinarian first. Prevention is safer and less costly than treatment.

The medication (Immiticide) used in heartworm treatment today is much safer than the medication used in the past. For past treatments we had to give four intravenous injections of an arsenic based compound named Caparsolate. The new treatment involves two injections in the lumbar back muscles 24 hours apart. This will slowly kill the adult heartworms over the next month.

To make this procedure as safe as possible, blood testing and chest x-rays are performed to make sure that your pet does not have any underlying health problems. The blood work is to make sure that the liver and kidneys are in the best possible shape (to metabolize the drug given) and that there is no hidden infection. The chest x-rays are not to see how large the heart is. Many dogs will have an enlarged heart because of the heartworms. This enlargement will not significantly improve after the treatment. The x-rays are to see if there is any inflammation in the lungs. If the lungs are severely compromised and the pet is treated for heartworms, the extra burden of the dying heartworms could potentially cause death. This is because when the heartworms die, they will travel to the lungs where they will be absorbed back into the body. This can cause a lot of inflammation and we do not want the lungs to be overwhelmed. Just because lab work and x-rays are performed, that does not guarantee that your pet will have absolutely no trouble with the heartworm treatment. Certain precautions still have to be taken.

If the lab work and x-rays show some underlying problems, then we will address those problems before beginning heartworm treatment. If the lab work and x-rays look good, then the injections will be started. Based on when the first injection is given, your pet will stay in the hospital for 2-3 days so that we can monitor his reaction to the treatment.

After heartworm treatment, it will take about 4 weeks for the adult heartworms to die. This treatment does not affect any immature heartworms. The immature heartworms will slowly be killed by giving the Heartgard® heartworm prevention monthly. In the past, other mecications were used to kill these immature heartworms, but here at Claws & Paws Veterinary Hospital we feel the safest method is the slow kill with the Heartgard®. During the next 4-6 weeks, it is very important that your pet’s exercise be severely restricted. As the adult worms are dying, they will migrate to the lungs where they will be absorbed back into the body. What we do not want is for your pet to do running and jumping where the blood starts flowing rapidly and a lot of worms migrate to the lungs at once. We recommend a recheck examination on your pet 2 weeks after the treatment so that the Doctor may listen to the heart and the lungs.

After treatment your pet needs to be closely monitored for any changes in appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, back pain, lethargy/depression, and especially coughing. Coughing is a sign that there is inflammation in the lungs. Should your dog start coughing, we would like to see your pet that day.

The immiticide treatment is 98% effective. Out of all the dogs treated over the past several years, there has been only one dog that needed a second treatment. As far as safety is concerned, it is much safer to treat your pet for the heartworms than not to treat it. Treatment also will not prevent re-infection. After heartworm treatment your pet will need to be put on the prevention and kept on it. If your pet misses a month later on, he could get heartworms again.


Again, Good luick, i hope this helped (most of teh cost comes from x-rays, ect....)

[Babbie]

I hope everything goes well with Smokey's treatment and that soon he will be 100% heartworm free!!! After that, start a prevention program...it is cheaper, easier (i give heartworm in the beef tablets to Mojo and he thinks it is a treat) and will save you headaches.

Keep us posted on how his treatment goes...

Good luck !!!

[Debbie Doo]

Hi, wow, thanks for the encourgment and prayers from all, and the great info from orinskye. I have an appt. on Thrursday at 1 pm, then as soon as I leave there I'll have to go to work so I will let you all know how that goes. I do feel better about it all, now that I've read what you guys have had to say an I've been on the web checking it out. I guess it was just a very big shock because he acted fine. Talk to ya later in the week. Thanks again, Debbie Doo & Smokey.

[Debbie Doo]

Hi to all. well I found out he has adult and immature heartworms and probably had them most of his life. He's only 2 yrs or so, we may have a little wild man on our hands when he's better I take him in 2/1/05 and has to stay for 4 days. They will use Immiticide, there will be 2 treatments, one on Tues and one on Thru. Then will give him meds to keep him calm. I forget the name. Also he has Amoxicillion and Predizone to take twice a day. To help him out now and when he has the treatments. Poor little guy, I wish the treatments were done. I wondered why he never barked, now I know why, at least I think I do because of the breath it would take to BARK But other than that I didn't see anything wrong.... I better go for now, Smokey and I need to go to bed, we sure are tired Debbie and Smokey

[Babbie]

Hi Debbie...

So good to hear Smokey will be treated soon! I pray everything goes well and soon he will be free of these darn things

By the way, Smokey is the name of the war yorkshire terrier isn;t it? I think somebody posted something about it earlier in the month...

Anyways...good luck! Mojo and I are praying for Smokey's full recovery!!

[Debbie Doo]

Hi, to all. Smokie is doing ok today. After having his heartworm treatment. We've been to the vet twice, since then. The first time he had a fever. Was told to give him 1/2 baby asprin every 8 hrs. The 2nd time was just for the Vet to check him out. Now he has Tape worms..........The Vet said that to just let them run their course. Has anyone heard of this? He does have another Heartworm treatment 3/1/05, so maybe that is why she didn't want to do anything about right now. Whew wee we have 3 more days of being really careful not to get him excited, we can't play. We were told the first 2 weeks was the most important, but will continue till he is done.

Debbie & Smokie

[milliecorrales]

What you are undertaking for this little guy is wonderful, but I must ask, you said that you found him in your barn and you also stated that someone had spent some time with him as to his behavior, I am hoping that when you found him, you did do a diligent search for his owner. These dogs are much desired and easily loved, please make the time to search for his owner, if his owner does not want him back then he will truly be your little smokie.

[randyrambo]

Hya guys this is my first post, just had a read. But What exactly is heart worm and how do our four-legged pals catch it?
I have heard of the name but have never known what it is, i know i might sound dim but i would like to know more as i have a 10month old puppie called Rambo and am still finiding out new things about him.

Love Star and Rambo
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[Babbie]

just like the name says...it is little worms that grow in the heart. There is no signs that the dog is getting infected, only after, usually they are very tired always.

It is transmitted throug a mosquito...check your area and see if you need to put your puppy on a preventive!

Hope it helped

[randyrambo]

Woah, i didnt think thats how they were transmitted! Thanx for the info coz theres plenty of mosquitos around here im gunna have to see the vets pronto!

Love Star and Rambo
x