If your dog tested positive for heartworms, the next step is to determine the stage of the disease. This usually involves conducting baseline blood work and x-rays to help guide the treatment plan for your pet.

If heartworms are left untreated, they can cause heart failure, liver failure, and lung failure, as well as inflammation in the heart, lungs, and arteries, which can lead to other health issues.

Most heartworm preventatives have minimal side effects. For injectable preventatives, dogs might experience tenderness at the injection site for about 24 hours or occasional lethargy. These are normal reactions to injectable medications. Oral preventatives may cause upset stomach issues. If your pet vomits within an hour of receiving the oral medication, contact your veterinarian, as a redose or alternative medication may be necessary.

There is a slight risk associated with treating heartworms, especially in dogs that are heartworm positive and at a more advanced stage of the disease, closer to heart failure. In these cases, precautions are taken during treatment. For dogs that have just been treated or are on heartworm prevention, most preventatives do not have many side effects.

Heartworms live in the heart, lungs, and arteries of infected dogs. They can cause heart failure, lung failure, and liver failure. Additionally, the inflammation caused by the heartworms living in these areas can lead to chronic health issues.

Yes, heartworms are extremely common in dogs, especially in the United States. Mississippi and Louisiana have the highest number of cases in the entire country, so keeping your dog on heartworm prevention is very important in these regions.

If you miss a dose, you should give your dog the next dose as soon as possible. It's also important to test for heartworm disease six months after the missed dose to check if your dog was exposed to a mosquito carrying heartworms.

The best thing you can do is to keep your dog on heartworm prevention. While spending less time outside could help, it's important for your dog to have a good quality of life. In addition to heartworm prevention, you can consider mosquito control in your environment to reduce the risk of heartworms.

Unfortunately, no FDA-regulated holistic or over-the-counter heartworm preventatives exist. Some products may claim to prevent heartworm disease, but they're not effective, and your pet will likely still contract heartworm disease.

No, none of the heartworm preventions can clear a heartworm infection. The American Heartworm Society does not recommend the slow kill method, which involves keeping a dog on heartworm preventative until the heartworms die naturally. This can take several years, and the preventatives will not treat the adult heartworms. Actual heartworm treatment is required to clear the infection.