Heartworm

[MrSloppy]

I just found out my lab of 4.5 years has heartworm. The vet says it cost $500 to fix him. Is this reasonable? 500 is a lot for me, but this is my big guy, so what do I do? Is there some treatment that i can do at home? He has no signs or symptoms, hes the same as ever, but I need some help.

[LABS4ME]

Don't mess around with it! It can kill him or damage his heart so that he will never be able to hunt again. I know it is a costly proposition to kill heartworm and it is strong medicine that has to be administered in exact dosages... no quick fix. About the only other thing to do is talk to another vet or two to get an idea of pricing for the treatment.

Good Luck!

Ken

[MrSloppy]

Thanks for the quick info. I do want to talk to another vet. Will a couple more days make a differance? I think its a slow acting disease, so I dont have to rush him in right now? Unfortunaltley, the vet in nicolete just got hit with the tornado, so im going to go to the ones in mankato. thanks for the info

[Rip_Some_Lip]

I used the St. Peter vet when I lived in Mankato and I thought she was a good vet. Just pointing out another option for a 2nd estimate. I think they were a little cheaper than the ones in Kato I looked at. Good luck with it.

[Ray Mysterio]

MrSloppy,

I've been there too man. Except both of my labs had it. Cost about $ 600 total per lab when it was all said and done. Tell the big guy to hang in there. The treatment puts alot of stress on him but he will should do fine.

I noticed even more energy out of my dogs when they were cleared of heatworm. I didn't think they could have any more energy.

Mysterio

[harvey lee]

I would not wait if you want to save the dog.It will be spendy but if the dog is your big guy it may be worth the expense.Its sad it might have to come down to money.Maybe the vet would take payments as a thought.

[fivebucks]

First off, good luck with your boy MrSloppy. I have a related question though. Are the "Heartguard" heartworm pills basically 100% effective? If not what else can you do to cut down the heartworm threat. Thanks.

[LABS4ME]

I believe it would be considered 100% effective. Just do not give it to your dog if they already have heartworm... They have to treat them for heartworm first before you can begin on Heartguard again. Also if you are using Frontline, that will help cut down on Mosquito bites.

Good luck!

Ken

[fivebucks]

Thanks Labs. I've always used Heartguard and have used Frontline for the past 5 years or so and this post got me wondering the effectiveness.

[Redlantern]

Once the dog is treated and FREE of heartworms, keep them on a prevetative medicine. Maybe heartguard seems expensive but it is worth it in the long run. If that's too pricey for you(which it is with me, since I have twelve dogs), use something else. I prefer to use Ivermec cattle and swine. For cows and pigs it's injected, for dogs, I give it orally. While it's not intended for this, it works great. Talk to your vet about this. Some agree and some don't. There are some breeds of dogs that shouldn't use this, collies are one that come to mind. My point is, I guess, that dog care need not be extremely expensive, but it is neccesary. Fosters and Smith and a few other sites have decent prices on vaccines and preventatives compared to buying from your vet. If your vet isn't willing to show you how to administer some basic vaccines, I'd suggest finding another vet.

I hope I'm not implying that you haven't taken care of your dog and that all vets are money grubbing jerks. It's just that some people are intimidated by basic animal husbandry and it isn't that difficult. I rely on my vet for rabies vaccinations, emergencies and tips on keeping my friends healthy and happy. The rest, I try to do myself.

Enjoy your time with the dogs.