My dog has tested positive for heartworm—what are the next steps?

The following recommendation is going to be getting your dog set up for heartworm treatment. There is a recommended protocol from the American Heartworm Society that we here at Advanced Animal Care and Advanced Animal Care Berea follow pretty strictly. Your dog is going to be on some oral medications and often steroids. We put your pet on steroids to help reduce and prevent any inflammation that may result from the treatment or the death of the worms. We may also put your dog on some antibiotics, recommend doing some pre-treatment, either x-rays or blood work. Then we schedule your pet for their serial injections of the heartworm treatments.

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.