Heartworm treatment normally cures most dogs the first time around. However, sometimes a second round of treatment may be necessary if the first one doesn't kill all of the adult heartworms. Usually, we retest in six months to see if we need to retreat or if we can just continue with heartworm prevention.

Typically, we administer three heartworm treatments. We start with one injection and then a month later we give two injections.

If your dog tests positive for heartworms, the veterinarian will discuss doing chest x-rays and putting the dog on medications. They will also talk about heartworm treatment options. In some cases, they may recommend you to see a cardiologist before starting the heartworm treatment.

There are four different stages of heartworm disease. Stage one is when the dog is infected with the larvae, and you might not even notice anything at this point. Stage two is characterized by a bit of exercise intolerance and a mild cough. Stage three is more severe, with a much more hacking cough and an increased amount of exercise intolerance. Stage four is the worst stage, where the dog may exhibit severe exercise intolerance, and sometimes even collapse. At this stage, the dog is most likely in congestive heart failure and it can even lead to death.

If left untreated, worms can cause extreme discomfort, weight loss, and bloody diarrhea. In puppies and kittens, they can lead to anemia which can be fatal.

Worms live in the dog's intestinal tract and lay eggs that hatch, perpetuating the cycle. Unless the intestinal worms are eliminated, they will continue reproducing inside the intestinal tract.

The prevalence of worms in dogs depends on their lifestyle. Dogs that stay mostly indoors and are on heartworm prevention are less likely to have worms. However, dogs that often visit parks or stay outside, especially in the southeast, are almost certainly likely to have some type of intestinal worms.

Yes, two types of worms are visible. Roundworms, which look like thin spaghetti, can be seen in puppies' stool, and tapeworms, which look like grains of rice, can be seen in dogs' stool.

Worms can be painful to dogs, depending on the number they have. Roundworms and hookworms can cause discomfort in puppies or kittens, often resulting in a pot-bellied appearance. Whipworms can cause bloody diarrhea in dogs, and tapeworms can lead to an upset stomach and weight loss as they compete for nutrients.

Dogs and cats can get roundworms and hookworms from their mothers either through the placenta before birth or through milk while nursing. As adults, they can ingest the larvae of roundworms and hookworms from grass or when they lick their feet. Dogs can also get whipworms by ingesting their larvae. Both dogs and cats can get tapeworms either from ingesting a flea or eating a small mammal like chipmunks, mice, moles, squirrels, rabbits, and the like.