Heartworm disease is dangerous and isn't something to treat by yourself. You can treat your dog at home, but make sure you get help from a holistic vet or herbalist. You can find a holistic vet at ahvma.org or a homeopathic vet at theavh.org.
They can be controlled naturally with citrus oils, cedar oils, and diatomaceous earth. Dogs needing conventional treatment may benefit from herbs such as milk thistle and homeopathics such as berberis; these minimize toxicity from the medications and dying heartworms.
No medication is approved to kill adult heartworms in cats, and treatment is aimed at reducing worm-associated inflammation and managing clinical signs. Unfortunately, adult worms can take several years before they die on their own, and inflammation and scarring may become permanent.
If owners can't afford treatment at the time of diagnosis, Dr. Herrin recommended delaying melarsomine therapy but still initiating treatment with both a preventive and doxycycline. This will prevent further infection and remove the dog as a heartworm reservoir.
Slow Kill Method
While not generally recommended, another method of handling heartworms is to only attack the microfilaria, leaving existing adult heartworms to die of natural causes. This is known as the slow kill method. It's cheaper and does not require a rest period and debilitating adulticide.
Melarsomine dihydrochloride (available under the trade names Immiticide and Diroban) is an arsenic-containing drug that is FDA-approved to kill adult heartworms in dogs. It's given by deep injection into the back muscles to treat dogs with stabilized class 1, 2, and 3 heartworm disease.
Dogs can live for at least six to seven months after becoming infected with heartworms. This is because it takes that long for adult heartworms to grow.
A diagnosis of heartworms is not a death sentence, even in a somewhat older dog.
Prognosis: heartworm treatment success rates
With the three-dose adulticide protocol described above, in conjunction with doxycycline and macrocyclic lactones as recommended by the American Heartworm Society, 98% of dogs will be cleared of heartworm infection.
Average Cost of Treatment. The average cost of heartworm treatment for dogs is often around $1,000. However, it can range from $500 to $1,100 or even more depending mainly on the size of your dog, veterinary bills, and the stage of the disease.
Signs of heartworm disease may include a mild persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, fatigue after moderate activity, decreased appetite, and weight loss. As heartworm disease progresses, pets may develop heart failure and the appearance of a swollen belly due to excess fluid in the abdomen.
Dogs with heartworm infections will feel weaker, and will find it harder to remain active, even in low-energy activities. Weight loss and loss of appetite. In more advanced stages of heartworm infections, your dog will find it hard to complete normal physical tasks like eating.
Apple cider vinegar has numerous health benefits and is known to be effective in treating worms in dogs. Unlike other vinegar, apple cider vinegar increases the alkaline levels in the intestines of the dog. As a result, it creates an inhospitable environment for worms and other parasites.
Restrict exercise– no running, walks for exercise or rough-housing. Generally speaking, it's ok to walk your dog outside to use the restroom or to sit outside to enjoy the weather, but no walks (short or long) for exercise. Your veterinarian may have alternative recommendations.
Unlike intestinal parasites, however, which, once killed, can simply be passed in the animal's stool, heartworms, once dead, do not have an easy way to be eliminated from the body. The dog's immune system must break down the dead worms, an elimination process which is very effective but does take some time.
Six months after they bite your dog and inject those larval microfilariae heartworms into your dogs, it takes that six months for them to develop into that adult worm. So generally, it's anywhere from six to 12 months after they've been bitten; you may start noticing signs in your pet.
There should be no physical activity for 6 weeks or until cleared by the veterinarian. No play, no running. Active dogs that have a hard time resting after treatment, may be prescribed calming meds during recovery. The recovery period is a great time to train the brain.
Stage 1 — This is when a dog is infected but doesn't yet show symptoms. The heartworms are present in the heart even if there are no detectable antigens. Stage 2 — In stage 2, a dog will start to have less exercise tolerance and be more lethargic. A dog may also develop a dry cough.
With heartworm disease treatment can be extremely difficult even for the young otherwise healthy dogs but our senior dogs can see more severe side effects and death if progressed disease is present. Know that 1 in 10 dogs will develop some form of heart disease as they age.
Most of the monthly heartworm medicines have a safety factor of at least 15 days of protection if a dose is missed. This means that if you're just a week or two late, your pet is likely still within that window of protection and would be unlikely to become infected during that time.
Heartworm Disease Causes Lifelong Damage.
MYTH: Coconut oil can cure heartworms.
FACT: Coconut oil does not cure heartworms in dogs. As discussed, the only effective treatment for heartworm disease in dogs is a series of injections of melarsomine.
The American Heartworm Society recommends treatment with doxycycline in dogs diagnosed with heartworm disease at a dose of 10 mg/kg twice daily for 28 days. If doxycycline is not available, minocycline can be considered as a substitute.
Interceptor is the ONLY safe heartworm prevention medication for Collies, Collie-mixes, Shelties and Sheltie-mixes. This is because Interceptor does not contain the drug ivermectin, which is known to have deadly effects in these and some other breeds. Heartworm prevention is easy.