We Adopted a Dog With Heartworms, and the Treatment Was Easier Than I Thought It Would Be
Key takeaways:
While searching for a new family dog, Colleen Oakley fell in love with a shelter pup who’d tested positive for heartworms.
Convinced that he was the right dog for them, she agreed to take him through his treatment under a vet’s guidance.
She shares tips for dog owners whose pups also need heartworm treatment.
It was love at first sight the second I saw his picture. The scruffy black hair, the tongue hanging out of his mouth in a goofy smile, the soulful brown eyes. I called the animal shelter immediately. The woman who answered told me “Tramp” (named for “Lady and the Tramp,” as he’d been found living on the street) was actually no longer up for adoption. He’d just tested positive for heartworms and had to go through treatment.
I hung up, dejected. I had been looking for a new family pet for 2 months. And though I’d looked at a few other dogs, Tramp just felt like he was meant to be mine.
The next few days, I half-heartedly scrolled through Petfinder. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Tramp. I called the shelter back and told the woman as much on the phone. Then I said: “Would you consider letting me adopt him and take him through the heartworm treatment?”
Now, I’d had a few dogs in my life. But I’d never had one with heartworms, nor did I know what the treatment entailed. The shelter agreed to let me adopt Tramp — who we promptly renamed Baxter — and the more I learned about what he would have to go through, the more nervous I became.
Heartworm treatment sounded intimidating
I was sure Baxter was our dog, and I wanted to get him home as soon as possible. But I was worried about keeping him alive and well during what sounded like an intense treatment period to make sure we got rid of all the heartworms.
Heartworms are a blood-borne parasite. They are most often spread by a mosquito biting an infected animal, then biting an uninfected animal and depositing the heartworm larvae into their skin. Left untreated, the heartworms will mature into foot-long worms in about 6 months and reproduce. This creates hundreds of heartworms that can live up to 5 to 7 years and cause severe damage to a dog’s heart, lungs, and arteries, often resulting in death.
Veterinarians recommend a monthly heartworm preventative like Heartgard Plus to keep heartworm larvae from surviving and growing. But since Baxter had been living uncared for on the street, he’d had no such precautions.
The treatment to kill the existing heartworms sounded easy enough. Baxter would receive a shot to kill the adult worms, and the vet would keep him overnight in the hospital for observation to make sure he tolerated the medication well. Then, 1 month later, he would receive two more injections, 24 hours apart, and be kept under observation at the vet once more.
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How would we keep our pup calm during treatment?
The difficult part? Baxter, a 1-year old terrier/schnauzer mix with lots of puppy energy, would have to remain as calm as possible for the 30 days after his first shot and then for 2 weeks after the second round of shots. It was especially important during that first week, because that’s when the adult heartworms die and start to decompose. The fragments of the dead heartworms can find their way into blood vessels in the brain or lungs. There, they can cause a blood clot or stroke, which can potentially be fatal.
Exercise or excitement can rev the dog’s heart rate, increasing the risk that these fragments will get lodged into blood vessels. Keeping Baxter calm was a must, and I wasn’t quite sure how to do that. We’d had him home for a few days already and chasing tennis balls, zooming around the den, and going on super long walks were already some of his favorite activities.
Tips from one dog owner to another
If you’re in a similar position with your dog, here are the tips I recommend.
1. Get a crate and/or short leash
I work from home, so I was able to be with Baxter during the days after treatment while he needed to stay calm. Fortunately, he liked to be by my side, so I kept him on a short leash and put his bed in my office so I could keep an eye on him.
Whenever he needed to go out, I carried him up and down the stairs. I also picked him up to sit beside the family while we watched TV, so he didn’t jump up on the couch. I was determined not to let his heart rate rise for any reason. If you can’t be home during the day, vets recommend crating your dog while you’re gone so they can’t run around.
2. Stock up on chew toys to keep them busy
When dogs can’t run around, they need other stimulation to keep them from getting bored. Rawhide bones last a long time, but I had read that they weren’t great for dogs. So I needed another treat that would keep Baxter busy. I found dog cheese sticks — hard rectangles of cheese, made from yak and cow milk — and Baxter would gnaw on them for hours.
How serious is heartworm disease in dogs? It’s a potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms.
How much does heartworm medication cost? Something like Heartgard Plus averages $50 to $70 for a 6-month supply.
How can you calm down your dog? Proper training and tools like mealtime puzzles can help.
We also got him a lick mat — a flexible silicone mat that we could fill with peanut butter and it would take time for him to get it out of the little crevices.
Another great option are the treat puzzles. There are plenty on the market. You can hide a treat inside and the dog has to figure out how to get the treat out.
3. Limit visitors
Baxter thinks every person that comes to our house is visiting him, and he gets so excited to greet new people. For that reason, we made sure not to have others over while he was recuperating so he didn’t get overly excited.
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4. Get a heartworm preventative after treatment
Make sure you talk to your vet about the right heartworm preventative to use after treatment, and give it to your pup every month to keep them healthy and heartworm free.
Don’t let a heartworm diagnosis scare you off
I know it can seem daunting, but we were finished with Baxter’s treatment before we knew it. And though I was a ball of nerves for those 6 weeks, it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be to keep him from overexerting himself.
And I’m so glad I did it. Baxter’s been a loving, wonderful part of our family for 3 years.
Don’t let a heartworm diagnosis scare you away from adopting a dog. Under a vet’s care and with some extra attention, your dog will be back to running around in no time, with many years of love left to give.
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