The arsenic-based formula is what makes melarsomine so painful. And there's a hefty amount in each dose, making it a little extra achy. “The treatment for heartworm disease is a chemotherapeutic agent that irritates the tissues where it is injected,” Dr. Marteney said.
The Immiticide is administered by deep intramuscular injections in the lumbar muscles. These injections can cause pain and soreness to spread throughout the lower back causing temporary difficulty getting up because of the muscle soreness. Some dogs experience nausea and are lethargic.
The heartworm treatment injections themselves can be very painful for some dogs, so most veterinarians will prescribe an anti-inflammatory drug that is acceptable to give to your dog. When in doubt – ask your vet and SKIP giving your dog any at home “people” medication!
The most common side effect of heartworm treatment is injection site reactions. Many post-treatment dogs will be sore as a result of muscle injury from the injection. It is important to avoid putting pressure on this area as the dog may overreact to the associated pain.
The medicine in the treatment (Immiticide) can cause a lot of inflammation at the injection site. This can occur no matter how smoothly things go and how little it seems to bother the dog at the time. This can range from being absolutely undetectable to a dog that is crying constantly with pain.
Try a game of stationary catch or use a clicker to train him to follow quiet commands while he's in his crate. Keeping your treated dog calm and quiet is one of the most important responsibilities a pet owner has during heartworm treatment.
It's why dogs feel bad a week or so after they are treated. That's when the worms die and shift position. The dog may have a fever, cough, lose appetite, have trouble breathing, or cough up blood. Sometimes you don't see any of those things, but you can just tell that your dog doesn't feel good.
Twenty-six dogs (52%) experienced minor complications, such as injection site reactions, gastrointestinal signs (vomiting, diarrhea, inappetance), and behavioral changes (lethargy, depression) during or after heartworm treatment.
Enforced Rest is ESSENTIAL! Positively NO Strenuous Exercise for 8 weeks! The heartworms will die over the next 6 weeks. As they die and are broken down, pieces of them could lodge in other parts of the body's blood vessels, causing unnecessary complications–if your pet's activity is too strenuous.
How long after heartworm treatment can a dog be active? According to Dr. Marteney, your dog will have to wait about six months after his diagnosis before he can get back to all his favorite activities.
Most dogs can be safely leash-walked during the treatment recovery period and providing appropriate chew toys can help relieve some of that stored up physical energy.
Is heartworm painful? - Animal Hospital of Statesville. It's not painful, per se, but they feel sick, uncomfortable, and they're likely having difficulty breathing. They're not perfusing very well, so they don't feel well.
There is some risk involved in treating dogs with heartworms, although fatalities are rare. "A new drug is available that does not have as many side effects, allowing successful treatment of more than 95% of dogs with heartworms."
Your pet has undergone treatment for Heartworm Disease. There may be some muscle soreness in his/her lower back as a result of the injections administered in this area for the heartworm treatment. The soreness usually resolves within 3-7 days after the treatment.
Dogs with heartworm disease can live high-quality lives as long as they are given appropriate care. After completing treatment and following your veterinarian's recommenda- tions on heartworm disease testing and prevention, the chances of any long-term effects are very low.
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.
Treatment for heartworm can cause serious complications for your pet's health and can be potentially toxic to the dog's body. Many dogs experience soreness and swelling at the site of their injections. The most severe side effects are related to a large number of worms suddenly dying.
Approximately 6 months after treatment is completed, your veterinarian will perform a heartworm test to confirm that all heartworms have been eliminated. To avoid the possibility of your dog contracting heartworm disease again, you will want to administer heartworm prevention year-round for the rest of his life.
The exercise restriction during melarsomine treatment is so important. As the heartworms die, they float around in the bloodstream and lodge in the walls of blood vessels. If your dog exercises too hard, the fragments can get shoved into narrowing blood vessels potentially causing a blockage/embolism and even death.
If you dog is diagnosed with heartworm, the treatment administered by your vet to kill the worms may be associated with side effects, including vomiting. There are many causes of vomiting in dogs. If your dog is vomiting after receiving vet-administered treatment for heartworm, it is best to contact them for advice.
If exercise or excitement cause the treated dog's heart rate to rise, pieces of decomposing worms can be forced into the tiny blood vessels of the lungs, causing further complications. The more pronounced the clinical signs of heartworm disease are, the more restricted any activity or excitement need to be.
Not every aspiring pet owner is equipped to provide the extra care a special-needs pet requires; however, with proper treatment, heartworm-positive pets can be excellent candidates for adoption.
There is no reason to allow running, jumping, or other physical activity at any time for 8 weeks after the start of the injectable heartworm adulticide treatment.
The melarsomine injections can be very painful for your dog. We take this very seriously and provide effective pain management as part of the HW treatment package. We provide take-home pain medication and a strong anti-inflammatory drug to minimize the body's reaction to the dying worms.