My dog has heartworms, and she seems to be in the early stages, can I just give her preventatives instead of immiticide?
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Please do not treat your dog without the advice of your vet,. Your dog can die, even in the early stages of heartworm disease. Here is information: https://www.heartwormsociety.org/veterinary-resources/american-heartworm-society-guidelines
Please consult with your veterinarian about how to proceed with the treatment of your dog.
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The 'slow kill' method you describe can take 18-24 months to "cure" your dog. In the meantime, the adult heartworm can cause damage. You will need to restrict activity for that entire time span as well. This method works for dogs with Stage 1 disease. Discuss treatment protocols with your veterinarian.
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Immiticide is not very popular anymore, the new generation of veterinarian usually use an ivermectine based protocol in order to kill the worms much slower and in a much less riskier way (immiticide brings a lot of risks, many dogs do not survive the treatment). If your dog has adult heartworm already, giving the preventive treatment will not be enough though, you will still need to go to the vet for a series of injection.
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