Heartworm Treatment Heartworm Treatment

Access to basic veterinary care is critical for keeping pets healthy, with their people, and out of area shelters. FACE offers low-cost heartworm treatment for dogs to provide them with a long, healthy life. Our year-long heartworm treatment plan includes an initial consultation, three injections, and a follow-up appointment to verify your dog is heartworm negative.

For more detailed information about our heartworm treatment plan, scroll to the Frequently Asked Questions below.

Your heartworm treatment appointments

  • Initial Consultation

    During your consultation appointment, you can expect the following for your dog:
    – A physical exam
    – Blood and urine sample gathering
    – X-rays taken and sent to a radiologist for interpretation
    – A ProHeart 12 injection and possible additional injections of heartworm microfilaria are detected
    – Doxycycline medication and potential prednisone sent home
    You will be given a packet of informational materials regarding heartworm treatment and education.
    We will explain the importance of activity restrictions for your pet.
    The day after your consultation, we will call with results from bloodwork and x-rays, then schedule your first dog’s first injection of Melarsomine.

  • Injection 1

    During your dog’s first injection, you can expect the following:
    – A mild sedation given prior to injection
    – An intramuscular injection of Melarsomine
    – A period of direct monitoring by our recovery team

    Upon release, we will send you home with Trazodone for post injection sedation, gabapentin to manage pain, and prednisone to help prevent a potential allergic reaction to dying heartworms.

    You will be advised on the specifics of strict cage rest, medication explanations, potential injection complications, emergency vet referrals, and general post anesthesia instructions.

  • Injection 2

    During your dog’s second injection, you can expect the following:
    – A mild sedation given prior to injection
    – An intramuscular injection of Melarsomine
    – A period of direct monitoring by our recovery team

    Upon release, we will send you home with Trazodone for post injection sedation, gabapentin to manage pain, and prednisone to help prevent a potential allergic reaction to dying heartworms.

    You will be advised on the specifics of strict cage rest, medication explanations, potential injection complications, emergency vet referrals, and general post anesthesia instructions.

  • Injection 3

    During your dog’s third injection, you can expect the following:
    – A mild sedation given prior to injection
    – An intramuscular injection of Melarsomine
    – A period of direct monitoring by our recovery team

    You will be advised on the specifics of strict cage rest, medication explanations, potential injection complications, emergency vet referrals, and general post anesthesia instructions.

  • Follow-up

    During your follow-up appointment, you can expect the following:
    – A blood draw
    – Microfilaria screening

    We will review current activity restrictions and schedule your final appointment

  • Anniversary Day

    We will take one final blood draw and complete an in-house heartworm test to verify the absence of heartworms.

Strict Cage Rest

The most important thing you can do to minimize complications during treatment is to restrict your pet's exercise before, during and after the melarsomine injections. When adult worms die, they collapse and are pushed deeper into the smaller branches of the vessels that supply blood to the lungs. Because exercise increases blood flow to the lungs, it increases the likelihood that dead worms will block blood flow. This can result in severe complications and possibly death. The importance of restricting your dog's activity cannot be overemphasized.

Boredom Relief

Give Companionship - Replace activity with affection by keeping them close to you while you watch TV or read in bed. Avoid visitors (both human and dog). Keep your dog away from windows if they are prone to barking or getting excited when people or animals are in view.

Extend Mealtime - Give them Kongs or puzzle feeders that require long-term play to get at food or treats.

Let Them Chew - Boredom can lead to destructive behavior to their environment and even themselves. Offer them safe, long-lasting chew toys to keep them occupied and happy.

Brain Games - Introduce new games and tricks that will help to decrease boredom. Try a game of stationary catch or click-train them to follow quite commands while remaining in their crate.

Heartworm Information Documents

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Heartworm FAQs

  • What happens if I miss an injection appointment?

    We start over at an additional cost.

  • What are the risks of foregoing strict cage rest?

    Death.

  • Could there be additional charges to the treatment plan?

    Yes.

  • What happens if the treatment doesn't work?

    This is a risk. We start over.

  • Is there financial assistance for treatment?

    No.

  • What happens if my dog gets pregnant during treatment?

    We stop treatment.

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