Golden Retriever Tips » Heartworms in Golden Retrievers II

This is Part II of II for Heartworms in Golden Retrievers.

Treating Heartworm Infection

Once a dog has been diagnosed as having heartworms, treatment must be started. What this treatment is and how it is administered is dependant on the stage of heartworm infection. Generally, there are four stages of heartworm disease.

- Stage One – Dogs at the lowest risk – heartworms are detected in X-rays but all other tests appear normal.

- Stage Two – Dogs are moderately infected, may have some difficulty breathing and be demonstrating coughing.

- Stage Three – Dogs are severely affected & may display weight loss, have difficulty breathing, blood tests likely show kidney and/or liver damage.

- Stage Four – Dogs have Vena Cava Syndrome and are in shock, essentially dying – surgery may be undertaken to remove worms, but there is no guarantee that it will save the dog.

When it comes to heartworms in dogs, prevention truly is the best medicine. The best time to begin a preventative treatment is early in puppy-hood, before the dog is seven months old since dogs older than seven months are at a great risk for adverse reactions to the preventative treatments.