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why did my dog get heart worms?

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my dog has been on heart worm medicine since a puppy, now we find out he has heart worms why? no symptoms thank you
my dog eats only dog food, he has been on preventive meds since a puppy. and yearly shots.

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This entry was posted on October 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in FAQ by Allan 6 Comments

6 Responses to "why did my dog get heart worms?"

  • Kari M says:
    October 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    I work at a vet clinic and dogs get heartworm disease from mosquitoes. An infected mosquito bites an infected dog and then the bites a healthy dog – transferring the disease.

    If your dog had been previously tested two times before and had been on heartgard then heartgard will pay for the treatment of your dog. Heartgard works extremely well, but unfortunately it’s not 100% – but atleast it is guaranteed.

    If your dog is positive for heartworm – you need to discontinue all heartworm preventatives EXCEPT heartgard which you should continue to give. The other products contain ingredients that could harm your dog now that it’s positive. Your vet should have recommended you continue on heartgard though.

    Schedule your dog for treatment ASAP as you do not want the infestation to grow. The treatment can be difficult on some dogs (especially older dogs or dogs with large infestations) – so you’re best off to get the treatment ASAP. It is expensive (at my clinic ~$600), but ask your vet about having the company of the preventative you were on contribute something (they usually will gladly).

    If you weren’t on a preventative and absolutely cannot afford treatment – you can begin treating your dog slowly by yourself at home. It isn’t documented in research, but sometimes the old farmer vets will tell their clients this. I witnessed it myself first hand last summer. A guy just basically overdosed his dog on heartgard (it’s super safe though, they can eat a whole box and not OD). He would feed two tablets every two weeks. He did this for two years and then brought the dog in to be tested. I was amazed – the dog tested negative. I asked my doctors about it and they said that the heartgard kills off all of the new baby heartworms and eventually the large female heartworm died – and the infestation was cleared up. I am not promoting this over having a traditional treatment at a vet clinic – heartworm is a VERY serious disease if not treated properly – that is just an absolute last resort possiblity!

    Anyway – first signs of heartworm are coughing – especially after/during exercise. Watch for that. Give your dog extra loving as the treatment can really be hard on some dogs. Your vet will be more than happy to allow you to visit him while he’s there for treatment.

    Best wishes!

  • Rachel D says:
    October 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    prolly something it ate. dont give it undercooked meat. give it heartworm pills once a month. you can get them at a local vet.

  • Power of the Rat Terrier says:
    October 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    its obvious he wasn’t on a preventive if he caught it

  • MANDYLBH says:
    October 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    How old is the dog now?? Did you have him tested before you put him on preventative and have you given it every month on the same date? They are bitten by a mosquito that transmits the microfaleria into the dog’s blood. 5-7 months later, if they are tested, they will test positive.
    If the dog has been on a preventative and you have not missed a month giving it, he/she should not be positive. You can check the following link for more information:
    http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=11

  • rescue member says:
    October 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    Has nothing to do with meat – undercooked or otherwise, heartworm is transmitted by mosquito and your dog could not have gotten it if he was negative for heartworm and then on heartworm preventative every month. Somewhere in there you slipped up – either pup had it already, or you forgot the heartworm preventative one month – that’s all it takes.

    Rachel — that’s tapeworm you are thinking of — and what does "prolly" mean???

  • TritanBear says:
    October 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm

    i am sorry to hear about your dog. I do not know what type of heart worm preventive meds you gave your dog but I know that for several of them, like HeartGuard the pill has to be chewed or broken in pieces to be effective. There were several lawsuits in the matter because people’s beloved dogs got heartworms even though they were on the meds. The owners stated that they were not informed that the medicine HAD to be complelelt chwed or broken up to be effective. In other words if it was swallowed whole it was not as effective or not effective at all. My vet confirmed it to me that it was true.
    I do not know if that matters in your case but I thought I would mention it.

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