🐱 NEW!

Introducing the Cat Food Advisor!

Independent, unbiased reviews without influence from pet food companies

Reply To: Adopted heartworm+ dog – need advic

#85075 Report Abuse
Stephanie B
Member

I also adopted a HW+ dog and she had the 2 injection treatment as well (2 months ago). It often depends what stage the HW infestation is at (there are 4 stages) as to which course of action the vet takes (2 shot vs. 3 shot) The Immiticide injections are hard on the dog so I definitely WOULD NOT start over at the beginning. The injections are done at the spinal cord which is painful and can cause soreness/weakness. There should be a shaved spot on your dog’s back where they administered the injections. After the injections the dog needs to be kept minimally active/at rest for 4-6 weeks as the worms “die”. High activity can cause a pulmonary embolism (clotting.) Also, you need to get the monthly preventative (eg. Heartguard) immediately and give it every month. The injections kill adult worms but you want to stop new infections with the preventative. And as a side note, the prednisone steroids will cause increased thirst and hunger so make sure you have lots of water for the dog to drink and take him out for more bathroom breaks. The dog should be retested (blood test) in 6 months to ensure he’s HW negative. https://www.heartwormsociety.org is a great resource for information as well.

Best of luck!