Heartworms

[cfell]

Seeking advice here...

My 9 year old Female, 85 pound Lab has tested positive for heartworms.

Vet sez... "..about $700.." to MAYBE heal her. Won't know risk percentage until they run $200 in tests...

it will take time... and I'm not very interested in putting her through that.

Here's the drill....

1- Pre-Treatment workup
a- blood tests $109
b- Radiological exam of heart/lungs $ 68

2- Treatment of Adult Heartworms
a- 2 injections of "Immiticide" $392
b- Hospitalization for 2 days and night $40

WAIT 4 WEEKS
3- Treat "pre-adult heartworms"
a- Antimicrofilaria injection $34
WAIT 2 weeks
b- Antimicrofilaria injection $34
WAIT 2 weeks
c- Heartworm test $29

Total $$706....


Now, an option is "homeopathic" with Black Walnut extract...

So, my first thought is to take the "homeopathic" approach...

thoughts, cussin' etc are appropriate.....

[Zotter]

Time to start reading. LOTS of info out there. Ugly, ugly, ugly.

Heartworm Society (http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=11)

Only one of many articles out there (http://www.placervillevet.com/canine%20heartworm.htm)

May as well start here (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Canine+Heartworms&btnG=Google+Search)

Only you can evaluate value of your pet to you.

Best to you and yours!

Found this on the first site there


My dog tested positive for heartworms. What does this mean?

answer That means your dog actually has heartworms in the right chambers of its heart or pulmonary arteries. If left untreated, they could begin to cause heartworm disease if the process has not already started. Almost all dogs can be successfully treated and rid of heartworms if they are detected prior to causing severe heartworm disease. In asymptomatic dogs, less than 1 % will likely have any significant problem from treatment.


Damn, think I'm make'n an appointment to test the pooch and then get'n me some Ivermectin (http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beaglehealth_canineheartworms.htm)

[murray]

I would follow the Vets approach first. They were successful in the past with one of my dogs and if that fails there is the homeopathic procedure.I wish you and your dog the best .

[katnapinn]

Chan sorry to here this ... If there is anything I can do to help just let me know :D

[hoog62]

Call a different Vet. Tell them your dog tested positive for heartworms and you need the price for treatment. You may be very surprised at they say is required, and the costs. At 9, she reasonably could live another 3 or 4 years should she survive the poisoning. My main concern would be the dogs quality of life, so ask about long term effects.

My personal opinion is, these decisions should always be based on the animals quality of life not the owners. No matter, it is a very tough decision that only you can make.

Some of the younger Vets around here are more interested in revenue generation than your animals quality of life. Gail actually heard one recommend a cholesterol check on a 3 year old Jack Russell Terrier. Are you kidding me?! They play on your emotions to sell you services; "You want your dog to live a long happy life don't you?" They want the dog to live longer, because that's where the real money is.

A co-worker was telling me how her dog "needed" some work. It's a Beagle/Basset mix, 15 years old, and I'm telling you this thing looks like the walking dead. She had just spent 200 bucks on some "preventative procedure" and now it "needed" another $900 worth that they assured would make him more comfortable. She spent the money and here we are three weeks later, the little guy is being evaluated for a surgery to "fix" his spine so he doesn't drag his hind legs after he gets up. (insert sound of Dave banging his head against cubicle wall) That one is going to run a pretty penny I'm sure.

[Lonewuff]

Chan,

The price is about the same at all vets. For the normal treatment I have seen it $600 to $900. The problem with trying "Other" approaches is if they don't work the Heartworms only continue to grow and do more damage, which makes it harder (translated to more expensive) to reverse. Heartworms isn't something to waste a lot of time with. The longer they are in the dog the bigger they get and the more damage they can cause, both alive and when you kill them off. The $200 test is to determine how large they are so they know which direction to take. If you killed off large worms their bodies would travel through the blood stream and end up in the lungs or cause a blood clot in another part of the body. You are going to have to keep the dog very calm and quiet during the treatment too. My advice: Get going now.

Note: My advice and another $4.98 and you can get a cup at *$$.

[KMC1]

My heart goes out to you. I can honestly tell you I would already have treatment started were it my buddy. If this was a child, it would be no different to me.
Don't wait another minute, and chalk the money up to paying for a man's salary who has the expertise to (hopefully) save your pet's life. 700 beans really isn't much money nowadays when you really think about it.
Good luck and let us know how she fairs.

[cfell]

Thanks, guys.. hope we can get this fixed...

[astuber]

Sorry to hear about Nellie. Here's hoping she pulls through.

As I mentioned before, I have a friend that is a local Vet. I will run this by him and see what he thinks.

[sonnata]

Channing,

I would do the vet's treatment first & homeopathic if traditional medicine didn't work. We recently had to decide whether to do a lumpectomy on our 13 year old Bouvier. She had one a year before, but the cancer came back. Vet said the risk of metastasis was low, but the tumor could get infected & go systemic, so we opted for the surgery. I'm most concerned about the quality of the dog's life. Had the vet told us we would have to do chemo or radiation & she would suffer through it, or suffering through the cancer if we didn' treat it, I wouldn't hesitate to put her down. She's been a wonderful dog, served the community as a therapy dog & deserves the best quality of life I can give her. If I can't give her that, she deserves a peaceful passing.

Best of luck. Sure hope you can get your pal some help.
Kevin

[KMC1]

Kevin, you really bring up a good point. I have spoken with my father on occasion regarding getting older and how to approach the end, and he and I both agree (I know, shocker that a father and son would agree on somthing...) that dying with dignity beats withering away. My feeling is that when a person gets to that point there should be options. Just as we all weight out our options with our pets as this thread discusses. It's so confusing to me that there are Terry Schiavo type situations daily in our society, yet at the same time we have options with our animals. It's strange to me that we can calculate a particular value to an animal, but with a person there cannot be intervention. I hope when it's my father's time (or anyone close to me for that matter), it's an easy passing, just as I hope that it is when it's my time. I wish there were "honorable" options available to us for these reasons.
Sorry for such a heavy post, but it's just one of those issues........

[sonnata]

That it is.

[cfell]

I sorta figured this discussion would elicit many emotions. Thank you for your honesty.

You guys know, to us life is precious... even human... =)

As for "human" options, Pope John Paul II, The Great, showed me the way... He used technology to "help" recover from the Assassination attempt... and again at his "end of life", through attempts to improve his breathing... once it was obvious there was no "progress", the "technology" was removed... and after a time, he breathed his final prayer... "Amen" (which means "It is TRUE!").

He was not a burden. He was the Holy Father.

Technology must be controlled. It is clearly out of hand in many cases such as Terry S. There were many other "issues" related to T.S... not applicable here.

Now, when it comes to our "pets", it is quite different.. they can't "decide" about their lives. It is up to us to "decide" for them. I've had to make the "tough call"... I've held them until their lives passed. That's my responsibility I "signed up for" when I began this intimate relationship of "master/pet/friends". I suppose it's no surprise that St. Francis is one of my favorite.

Right now, I'm at the point of letting her live the longest she can without the "treatment". When she's unable to fulfill the "pet" part of the relationship, my Master/friend side will again ease her suffering.

I suppose the title of this post means more than the infection..

Nellie is a 'heartworm'.. as those who've met her can attest... she gets into your heart... and will always be...

[katnapinn]

My brother I know this is a difficult desision to make but one only you and your family can make. My heart goes out to you in the troubled time. As I said earlyer if I can help in any way please call me.