Sedative after heartworm treatment?

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry to hear that Kenna has to go through heartworm treatment. It sounds like your vet is giving Immiticide injections which is the common treatment for heartworm.

There are a couple of reasons why we recommend to keep a dog quiet after Immiticide is given. One is because the injection can cause severe bruising which makes the muscles sore. (The muscles that will be sore are on the top of the dog's back, near the end of the back). So, we need to not have her move around too much and cause more pain to herself.

The other reason is that the medication will be killing worms that are living in her heart. If she is extremely active her heart rate will go up and this will cause more stress on her heart that is already dealing with a lot.

Regarding the sedative, this is really something you need to get your vet's ok to do. I am not legally allowed to advise medications online. Your vet may prescribe something to help you out. There really isn't an over the counter medication that would be safe and effective.

I hope the rest of treatment goes ok!

Dr. Marie.

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