Heart Worm Damage - Page 1

#1  If left un-checked how much damage can heartworms do in a year of growth?   How fast can they spred, and how hard is the treatment on the dog if it has had heartworms for a year?   

#2  If treating a dog for heartworms once a year is not hard on the dog and if the damage is minimal why use a monthly preventative?

I have a friend who's dog had gotten heartworms and had them for a while, he treaded him and all seemed to be fine.  He told me it was cheaper than monthly preventative.   I treat mine with preventative and was wondering about this.

#3  Also I use Interceptor that is supposed to treat other parasites but my vet told me it wouldn't hurt to do a yearly check because nothing was 100%.   If its not 100% percent why do I pay so much each year for it? 

Years ago I only wormed my dogs once a year and never had a big problem, I'm again wondering about the cost and possible stress to a dogs system using these products year round.

I'm the kind of person who never takes pills or gets shots and I wouldn't even go to a doctor unless I thought I was dieing.  I do not trust doctors anymore than any other profession and I dont trust drug companies, so where's the logic in subjecting my dogs to anything more than regular vaccines?

Right now I spend a small fortune at the vet and I'm just wondering if its cost effective and if its really best for my dogs.

Comments?

None whatsoever.

You usually have more to say Blitzen.    

Heartworm can kill your dog.

Not to you, Two Moons. You never fail to leave me speechless. Why don't  you just google "heartworms + dogs".

I don't Google at all.     Google is the big brother of all our nightmare's.   Google for google in china and what its done to curious chinese.     Our google its connections to US  domestic survailence.    Oh well just ask Preston.

I didn't know I had that effect on you Blitzen,  I'm sure I must have said some thing's you didn't like, its my fault for not paying attention I guess.     For that I am sorry.

Larrydee, I know that they can kill a dog.     But I believe it takes years.   

Maybe I should have found a Youtube clip.    Maybe I should put on my helmut and vest and prepare for a bashing here, I dunno.     Right now I'm gonna go outside and enjoy the day.   I dont have all the time in the world anymore.

Later.

Not really, TwoMoons, I just find your take on most things to be very........uh...... special.  For example I didn't know that google is a survelliance device. Thanks for that information, I'll be more careful from now on. Is there a safe way to surf the net?

I don't even know where to start.. I'm almost speechless but not quite... heartworms are very damaging and I'm not sure anyone can predict how much damage they can do regardless of the timespan..... the treatment is EXTREMELY hard on the dog and its whole system and causes them a lot of pain. It is not an effective method of heartworm preventation, an neither is it cheap. And the treatment and its results can kill them.

NOTHING is 100% not even the Rabies vaccination so yes its still a good idea to test for heartworms periodically.

There are many ways to reduce your costs, using different products but since you don't trust your vet.. you may never know.. not every vet is a money hungry ogre.. can't blame them for needing to make a living, but you also need to develop a relationship with someone who knows a spit about how to care for your animals, do research and make informed decisions.......

TwoMoons, I know you care about your dogs along with your pocket book. Heart worm is nothing to chance, If your dog gets it ,financially could break you, or if you had to put your dog down because of heart worms, emotionally will break you, or the guilt you shall feel when he is sick and you are treating him knowing the kind of damage they are doing to him. They do alot of damage to your dog.  I understand the mixed feelings about giving pills or treatments that maybe are not needed or that may do more damage than good. This is really not the one med to question.

The amount of time a dog has heartworms is not an issue so much as how heavy the infection is. It takes about 6 months for a heartworm to mature,  your dog could have MANY aduly heartworms by the end of that year. The treatment is VERY hard on a dog, even the new Immiticide! The treatment alone can kill your dog!

This past Saturday I lost a dog from Complications of Heartworm Disease. I had her less then 2 months. She died from blood clots caused by the heartworms lodging in her lungs and her lung ruptured pretty much! It is a horrible thing!!!!!!

To even consider not having a dog on Heartworm preventative is horrifying to me! Even more so now.  You can by liquid Ivermectin at most feed stores for less then $40, you give 1 cc per 100 pounds of weight orally once a month. The bottle will last at least a year, even for mutiple dogs.

PLEASE keep your dogs on preventative!

Beth