HART WORM ?

[almilesq1]

I have a 3 year old female that tested positive for heart worm. I dont have the money for tha vet care. He says $1000 to $1500. 6-12 months treatment. Does anyone have any advice for treating heartworm without the big bill ?

[littlewoody]

I alway see you buying and selling dogs. If you. Cant take care of the sick dog you should stop buying dogs. All i can say is ask bev if you can have a money bomb on here to raise the money good luck.

[mybeagles]

There are some vets that will give you a positive test result just to make some $$$$. Just happened to a friend of mine. Had the dog tested by another vet and it was negative.

May be worth another test elsewhere to save big expense and health risk to the dog.

There is a formula for self treating heart worms with ivermectin. It involves high dosage with frequency but someone with more experience will have to help. From what I understand the treatment will either kill or cure the dog depending on the severity of the heartworms. The faster you discover it and start treatment the better chance of success.

Mybeagles

[windsplitters]

I have a friend who just cured one with the ivomac treatment get with Crow on the board he can explain it.

[almilesq1]

Dear "littlewoody" i believe your shortcomings are your parents fault, but thanks for the advice.

[scottmi]

I dont know how far you are from Hillsdale but there is a vet there that does it for $350 I believe. I had a couple buddies that used the ivomec and the small cage and had good luck also.

[almilesq1]

Thanks Steve but i'm alittle too far from Hillsdale.

[beagler29431]

A good read: http://www.oldcountryvet.com/youtube_heartworm.html

You can either:
A) Have a vet treat the dog. They inject it with a drug that will kill the adult heartworms, usually 2 to 3 injections are done over a month or more. The dog must be kept completely quiet for several months (crated or VERY small kennel), retested for heartworm in 6 months and retreated if the first treatment doesn't work. The injections are VERY painful to the dog as they are done in the back next to the spine. The dog will not be able to hunt for at least 6 months. We have only used this treatment for dogs who are on death's door from heartworms and they usually have a 50/50 chance of survival. You also must watch them for bleeding, which would require an emergency trip to the vet. A low cost for this treatment would range $250-$400 and a high cost for this treatment could be in the thousands.
B) Keep the dog on heartworm prevention with Ivomectin (either injectable for cattle - given by mouth at a tenth of a cc per 10lbs or Heartgard) for 2 to 3 years, never missing a month. This will prevent the adult worms inside the dog from reproducing and keep new heartworms from infecting the dog, this will keep the dog from acquiring any new heartworms. You then wait for the current heartworms to die off, this can take 2 or 3 years. During this time they may cause some damage to the heart, however this is generally considered the safer treatment method for a dog who is not on death's door. You can continue to hunt and/or breed the dog using this method. After 2 to 3 years the dog can be retested for heartworm and eventually will get a clear test result. The cost for a bottle of Ivomectin is around $30 for a several year supply. The cost for Heartgard from the vet is around $30 a box for a 6 month supply. Some vets will not sell you Heartgard without a clear heartworm test.

We have acquired many dogs with heartworms and have used both methods, so far we have never lost a dog using either method and every dog tested clear for heartworms. It's just a personal choice based on how bad the heartworms are (if the dog is not showing any physical signs then the heartworm infection is probably low, if it is coughing/hacking/weak then the infection is probably high) and how much time/money you want to put into treatment.

[almilesq1]

thank you!!!!!!!!!! this is vary good info