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From the asymptomatic dog with a few heartworms to the patient with advanced heartworm infection and caval syndrome, heartworm disease (HWD) presents a range of treatment challenges.
The American Heartworm Society recommends the following heartworm treatment protocol for dogs. This method effectively eliminates most heartworm infections when closely followed by both you and your veterinarian.
9 kwi 2024 · The Canine Heartworm Guidelines by the American Heartworm Society (AHS) has been newly revised. These published guidelines, which address heartworm prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, were last updated in 2020. The revised version also includes a new section on spectrum of care.
This method allows destruction of only one-half the worms initially (1 IM injection of 2.5 mg/kg), thereby lessening the chance for embolic complications. This single dosage is followed by a 2-dose regimen in 1-3 months, if clinical conditions permit.
The standard melarsomine protocol (two-dose, 24-hour treatment regimen) kills most adult heartworms, clearing 50%–85% of dogs, whereas the split-dose + doxycycline protocol appears to clear > 95% of dogs.
Heartworm disease is a potentially fatal, but preventable, infection caused by a worm parasite, Dirofilaria immitis. The organism is transmitted by mosquitoes, which carry the heartworm larvae (called microfilariae) from an infected animal host to a new animal host.
This method allows destruction of only one-half the worms initially (1 IM injection of 2.5 mg/kg), thereby lessening the chance for embolic complications. This single dosage is followed by a 2 dose regimen in 1-3 months, if clinical conditions permit.
