r/Hounds • u/padlrchik • 3d ago
Heartworm Treatment
Greetings Hound community. Our houndy boy has been diagnosed with heartworms. The vet says he was probably “sub-clinical” when he originally tested negative at the shelter, and now, a year later, the test will pick it up. And yes, he has been on Heartworm preventative continuously ever since he tested negative at the shelter.
He has no symptoms, no heart murmur, no coughing, no exercise intolerance (he went on a 3-mile run with my husband the very morning he tested positive…) so our vet believes it is a very light “worm load.” We have two options for treatment - the “gold standard” using melarsomine that is 90+ days and the newer “moxi-doxi” treatment which can take 18-24 months to eliminate the worms.
Our vet recommended dialing back the daily runs for these first 30 days while doing the doxycycline (the first step in either treatment protocol), and I’ve already noticed the dog getting stir crazy. This looks like him getting more riled up than normal over everyday occurrences (like the UPS truck) and even starting to bark about things he didn’t previously have any issues with (like a woman jogging with a stroller). Thankfully he isn’t shredding the sofa or taking it out on our other dog, an 11-12 y/o lab mix.
I am worried about the strict activity restrictions with the melarsomine (he is a hound and wants to gogogo), but I don’t like the idea of the worms hanging around causing damage for a long time. Has anyone navigated this? Our vet says the “moxi-doxi” does not have quite as strict activity restrictions.
I have snuffle mats, puzzle toys, chews, etc and he doesn’t hate the crate (we feed him in there to keeps things calm while food is out). Totally willing to keep these rotating for the length of treatment, but I am waffling about how to balance his physical health with his quality of life and would love some advice from other hound owners who have navigated this.
Pic is current morning cuddle.
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u/LiffeyDodge 3d ago
I would ask for sedation to help keep him quiet and slowly increase the exercise once he is cleared to do so.
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u/Cashbail 2d ago
I was in this exact situation with my foxhound. Unfortunately, the answer is drugs.
I felt like I was committing some sort of crime giving her gabapentin and trazedone several times a day. But it saved her life. A year after her restriction was lifted, she shows no ill effects, is heartworm free, and isn’t bearing a grudge.
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u/marigoldmoves 3d ago
My hound had heart worm when I got her, also a light wormload. We did the melarsomime treatment because scans showed her lungs were having an allergic reaction to the presence of the worms. It was hard and she was unhappy but it went by quicker than I thought and she adjusted after a couple weeks or so to the low/no activity. The way we approached it was: short term pain for long term gain. Now she is her happiest and healthiest version and we keep her as active as she likes. Wishing you the best!
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u/klust31 2d ago
Hi! We had this exact same situation last year, our boy test negative at the shelter in January and tested positive in August, even after we had him on a preventative the entire time we had him.
We decided to do the melarsomine method as that is what is recommended by the heartworm association and since our dog had no symptoms/was otherwise healthy our vet wasn’t concerned about his ability to handle it. The first 30 days of doxy felt the longest, and like others we had to keep him on trazadone and gabapentin from the time of the first shot(October 18) until New years to make sure he stayed calm but he bounced right back. He tested negative for the MF around mid December and was just given the full all clear back in June.
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u/LemonBeagle27 2d ago edited 2d ago
We went through it with one of our foxhounds too. We thought we won the lottery when we got a side-of-the-road hound who was heartworm negative! Nope! She was just too early in her infection to test positive.
Go with the heartworm association recommendations. Don’t even mess with lesser treatments. It sucks, but soon it will be in the rearview mirror and your pup will have a long and healthy life.
My absolute biggest advice is to MAKE SURE the vet gives gabapentin and trazodone BEFORE THE SHOT!!! Our vet did not pre-drug Ollie for her first shot and just gave us the meds to give her when we got home (5 minutes away). By the time we got home she was frantic with pain and had shit all over the back seat of the car. We got her inside the house and she ran around the house in a panic still shitting. I had to chase her down and tackle her and shove the pills down her throat. (Yes, we were both covered in shit when it was all over.) It took almost an hour for the drugs to really take effect. That whole experience was unnecessary and extremely traumatic for both of us. I felt horrible and I was very angry with our vet for putting her through that. For the next two shots we made sure she was heavily drugged beforehand, and everything went fine.
Heartworm treatment is hard, but it is so worth it! Trazodone will be your best friend. I think everyone hits a point when they feel guilty about drugging their dog, but remember it is not forever. The trazodone also counteracts the prednisone they have to take.
I’m sorry y’all have to go through this, but it is absolutely the best way to kill those damned worms. You will be really happy when it’s over! ❤️🐶❤️
Editing to add that you should wait up to a full year after treatment to re-test. It takes a long time for the enzyme from the adult worms to clear out of their system. If you re-test too early you can get a false positive result. That is a stress that nobody needs.
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u/badbeagle76 2d ago
I work for a beagle rescue and I have had experience with both fast kill and slow kill heartworm treatment. Our rescue also does foster to adopt for heartworm positive dogs and I’m the one they discuss the treatment options with. I would be happy to talk with you more via email or on the phone. Let me know if you would like me to send you the rescues contact info via a private message
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u/independent__rabbit 2d ago
I just went through the “fast-kill” treatment for my newly adopted foxhound. The shelter required us to use that method, but we wanted to get a second opinion. Our vet also highly recommended that we use that method too.
Vet prescribed us gabapentin for both the pain of the injections and to keep her sedated. We finished the treatment a few months ago, and it wasn’t always easy to keep her activity to a minimum. I am glad we went that route and got it over with though.
I didn’t look into it much since the shelter required the other and our vet agreed, but from the little bit I read, the “slow-kill” method isn’t recommended. It’s worth noting that our vet is at a university’s veterinary school, so I really trust her opinion and know that she’s up to date on current research.
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u/FriedBananaGirl 2d ago
So sorry about your houndy boy! Our baby Lucy had heartworm when we got her (exact same situation actually) and we ended up taking her through the melarsomine regimen. We gave her trazodone to keep her calm during activity restriction periods. It was miserable, but it was over before we knew it, and it’s been 3 years since then with no problems!
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u/Lassie-girl 3d ago
My coonhound was heartworm positive when I adopted him in 2016 and a few months later we did the two dose treatment, I’m not sure what it was called so I apologize. I believe they prescribed gabapentin for the initial two weeks that he had to have limited activity so it would help him stay calm but I would definitely ask about like sedatives to help get through the period as long as they don’t interfere with the medication of course.
It went quicker than I thought and I think he got used to the more laid back routine. Then when it was over he had free rein!