Our Heartworm Treatment Regimen
I give Koda her her heartworm treatment every other Sunday. I am continuing the slow kill (gentle) heartworm treatment that was started in rescue. It’s actually a pretty simple process but is somewhat time consuming. And I give the treatments on Sundays so I can be available if Koda has any side effects, though she hasn’t so far.
The gentle heartworm treatment method uses Ivermectin (Ivermec) which is given orally every two weeks. Ivermectin is actually the active ingredient in most heartworm medication. Ivermectin can be purchased from most feed stores, but I bought mine at JeffersPet.com . It was about $30 for 50 ml and they shipped it really fast.
The treatment is given on an empty stomach. A half hour prior to giving the Ivermectin I give Koda 1/2 a prednisone tablet. This is given to help reduce the inflammation caused by the death of the heartworms.
Ivermectin doses for heartworm treatment are 1/10 cc per 10 pounds of body weight. You have to use a hypodermic syringe to withdraw the medication and measure the correct amount. Koda’s foster recommended putting the Ivermectin on a piece of bread about the size of a quarter with some peanut butter on top to disguise the bitter flavor. Luckily Koda loves peanut butter and eats it right up.
