We appreciate your willingness to adopt one of our animals who has a medical condition. This form is to ensure that we have explained the risks and possible issue associated with this condition.

PETS MEDICAL ISSUE:

Heartworm Infection

Heartworm disease is caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis. The worms are spread through the bite of a mosquito. It can be prevented by giving your dog Heartworm prevention from your vet on a consistent and uninterrupted schedule.

Treatment

The American Heartworm Society recommends the following heartworm treatment protocol for dogs. This method effectively eliminates most heartworm infections when closely followed by both you and your veterinarian. The overall goals of treatment are to safely and successfully eliminate current adult and immature heartworms, prevent new infections, and minimize treatment related complications in your dog.

The recommended treatment consists of the 5 steps outlined below.

Initial Treatment

Your dog will be started on a once-monthly medication called a “preventive,” to kill immature heartworms and prevent new infections from developing. You should continue to give it to your pet throughout treatment as well as for the rest of his/her life. Your dog will also be given the antibiotic doxycycline or minocycline for 30 days. This medication kills bacteria which live in the heartworms. These bacteria help the worms survive and reproduce. They also may cause worsening inflammation when adult heartworms die. By giving this antibiotic prior to the medication that will kill your dog’s heartworms, we decrease the likelihood of complications from the treatment and optimize the chance for complete elimination of the infection.

First Adulticide Treatment

At least two months after starting heartworm preventive, you will need to bring your dog to the clinic for the first injection of melarsomine, the drug that kills adult heartworms. Because complications can occur, your veterinarian might require your pet to stay in the clinic for observation. Upon discharge, your veterinarian may also prescribe prednisone or another anti-inflammatory medication for your dog to reduce side effects.

Second Adulticide Treatment

At least one month after the first injection, two additional injections of melarsomine must be given 24 hours apart. Once again, your dog may need to stay at the clinic during this treatment period.

Interim Assessment of Health and Microfilaria Status

Your veterinarian will examine your dog to determine his/her status following treatment. This examination will include a careful physical examination with an emphasis on the heart and lungs as well as testing for circulating immature stages of heartworm (microfilaria). This interim assessment will help your veterinarian determine when your pet can gradually resume more vigorous physical activity. If microfilaria are still present, your veterinarian may prescribe an additional medication to help eliminate them and then retest at 6 months to assess effectiveness. Your dog may still test positive and this is normal. You will need to retest at 9 months if your dog tested positive at 6 months.

Final Assessment of Efficacy

One year after the start of treatment, your veterinarian will test your dog’s blood to assess the success of adulticide treatment. The goal is to eliminate all stages of heartworms from your dog.

Home Care – Your Responsibility

Throughout the recovery period, please watch your pet for coughing, gagging, vomiting, diarrhea, or loss of appetite. Excessive sluggishness, respiratory distress, and coughing up blood are signs of a serious problem that require immediate veterinary attention. The most important thing you can do to minimize complications during treatment is to restrict your pet’s exercise before, during, and after the melarsomine injections. When adult worms die, they collapse and are pushed deeper into the smaller branches of the vessels that supply blood to the lungs. Because exercise increases blood flow to the lungs, it increases the likelihood that dead worms will block blood flow. This can result in severe complications and possibly death. The importance of restricting your dog’s activity cannot be overemphasized.

We understand that the animal we are adopting from Lake Lowell Animal Rescue is heartworm positive and, as such, requires specific care and medicine that is to be overseen/provided by LLAR. This includes, but is not limited to, antibiotics, heartworm medication, multiple injections to be given over a period of time by LLAR's vet of choice, and follow-up testing. LLAR and adopter have agreed to complete adoption paperwork prior to the heartworm treatment being completed in order for the adopter to be able to provide any other care necessary during this time as heartworm treatment can be a lengthy process. Adopters agree they will transport the animal to their assigned vet appointments as notified by LLAR, in addition to following all medication schedules and care instructions given by the vet or any LLAR representative.

Treatment will be a Minimum of 6 to 8 months.

A blood sample must be obtained after treatment to ensure the infection has been cleared.

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Lake Lowell Animal Rescue Representative

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Failure to follow through on any items in this contract by the adopter at any point will make the adoption null and void.

MEDICAL WAIVER

PETS MEDICAL ISSUE: