Ivermectin is most commonly used as a heartworm preventive in dogs and cats. It also used 'off label' or 'extra-label' for treating a variety of internal and external parasites.
Revolution: This topical liquid heartworm medicine for dogs offers total protection from parasites, including fleas, heartworms, ear mites, American dog ticks, and sarcoptic mange.
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.
Prior to starting a heartworm prevention containing ivermectin, the dog should be tested for heartworms. Ivermectin generally should be avoided in dogs less than 6 weeks of age. It is relatively safe, but overdoses can occur if massive amounts are given or if the drug is given to heartworm positive dogs.
Dewormer medicine kills intestinal parasites such as hookworms and roundworms. But they do not kill heartworms. In fact, heartworms live in the blood vessels and not the intestines, so dewormers have no effect on them. Heartworm preventative is the only medicine that can prevent heartworms.
An injectable drug, melarsomine (Immiticide®), is given to kill adult heartworms. Melarsomine kills adult heartworms in the heart and adjacent vessels. This drug is administered in a series of injections. Your veterinarian will determine the specific injection schedule according to your dog's condition.
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.
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.
Each of the three heartworm and flea pills available (Trifexis, Sentinel and Sentinel Spectrum) require a prescription from your veterinarian, who will first need to perform a heartworm test to ensure that your dog is not already infected.
With time, dogs that are not killed by infections will eventually test negative due to the natural death of the parasites. Without treating a large number of heartworm positive dogs with natural therapies, then proving they show a negative result on a heartworm test, it's impossible to recommend a natural therapy.
Nevertheless, when the adult heartworms have finished their life cycle and have reproduced, the dog becomes more susceptible to Caval syndrome and its fatal symptoms. As a result, it can be said that your dog will survive the first six months of the infection before things start to get worse.
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.
Melarsomine. Melarsomine is the only FDA-approved adulticide therapy for heartworm disease. The AHS-recommended protocol, which is considered safer and more effective than alternative protocols, consists of an initial injection followed one month later by two injections spaced 24 hours apart.
A recent study in Italy found that a combination of doxycycline and moxidectin for treating Dirofilaria immitis leads to a negative antigen status in dogs naturally infected with heartworm disease.
Of course, these dogs can be given heartworm preventatives that do not utilize ivermectin (Revolution [selamectin] and Advantage multi [moxidectin] are both topical, so they treat fleas as well as prevent heartworm disease). Both of these medications are fairly new and will need to be purchased from your veterinarian.
Many factors affect the cost associated with treating heartworm infection, including diagnostic testing, hospitalization, medication, and office visits. The current drug of choice is Immiticide, and due to manufacturing issues, is difficult to obtain and as a result is expensive.
Although Heartgard and other heartworm medicines require a prescription, at PetMeds®, we make the ordering process easy. Our pharmacy department will verify your pet's prescription for you by calling or faxing your veterinarian. Then, we'll deliver your pet's medication right to your door!
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.
If your dog's heartworms are caught early, ivermectin can be the safest treatment.
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. You can add ¼ to 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar in your dog's water daily.
It's hard to say in pets whether it is painful. I don't think the worm as it travels itself is necessarily painful, but as they develop these symptoms, discomfort and pain follows. The inflammation that the worm causes can lead to pain as well inside the body.
After treatment, the adult worms die and are carried by the blood to the lungs where they lodge in small blood vessels. There they decompose and are absorbed by the body over a period of several months.
Determining the Stage of Heartworm Disease
The cost of chest x-rays generally varies from $125 to $200, and the cost of an echocardiogram may vary from $500 to $1,000.
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.
According to the American Heartworm Society, heartworm treatment in dogs can take several months and methods: You'll have to restrict and minimize your dog's activity. Active dogs are more likely to have heart and lung damage from heartworms.