If you give heartworm medication to a dog and he already has heartworms, what will it do to him?
I live in a rural area and have adopted a very wild dog that appeared at my house. I have tamed him a great deal after months of working with him, but it's impossible to get him into a car to get him to a vet. (He's a very-very large dog.) So I gave him heartworm medication even though he hasn't been pre-tested. If he already has heartworms what will the medication do to him?
The best answer is by :
love my goldens :
Actually, it can kill him! Heartworm medication is given as a preventative. If the dog already has hearworms, the medicine can cause the heartworms to die too quickly, forcing them into the heart and lungs, and causing death for the dog.
Here is an article about heartworms.
http://www.all-about-goldens.com/heartworm-treatment.html