Is Mental Health Important for Healing? And why Don’t Vets Recommend Year-Round Heartworm Prevention?
My dog has heartworm. Her old vet recommended HeartGuard but for only six months. We used it but she still got heartworm. Now she has to be caged for a very long time.
I believe she is getting very depressed because of the changes in her life. I brush her as always, but can’t let her run or chase balls, as she is used to. Her new vet also put her on a diet to lose about 7 lbs. A time of stress like she is going through now is never a good time to lose weight, I believe, so she can lose those pounds after she gets through the heartworm treatment. At least that is what I think.
I am deeply concerned about the depression I see though. What can I do? Is there some kind of med I can give her to get her through all this? Or something I can do to make her feel better?
Why do vets never concern themselves with the mental problems that can accompany physical ones? Surely how a dog feels must play a part in getting well just as it does in humans. Could you please suggest something I can do?
Thanks.
Vi, loving mom of Zoey, age three.
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
In humans is well documented that physical health and mental health are closely connected. Depressed people are more likely to suffer from a host of illnesses. Illness often makes people depressed. And sick people who have strong social networks or family support get well faster.
Pets, incidentally, provide companionship and support that have been shown by numerous studies to benefit human health, prevent illness, and help sick people grow healthy.
Clinical depression has not yet been defined in dogs. And I am not aware of evidence-based studies that show happiness and mental health therapies are beneficial for dogs with heartworm.
But, as much as I support the concept of evidence-based medicine, I’m going to break away from it on this one. I think it’s clear that happy pets will heal faster than depressed ones.
Along those lines, I encourage families to visit pets that are hospitalized for treatment when I’m working. Being among loved ones motivates individuals to get well.
In Zoey’s case, I do not recommend antidepressants. Instead, focus on developing new, fun routines that won’t interfere with Zoey’s recovery from heartworm. She can’t play ball, but she can still snuggle, sit on the sofa with you while you watch TV, and sit at your feet while you read a book. You can keep her on a leash in the house if necessary. You can hold her on your lap if she’s small enough.
Be creative. One client of mine purchased a child’s bicycle trailer for her dog when canine arthritis made walks in the park impossible. The dog was thrilled to ride along as her owner pedaled her through Golden Gate Park. Just because your dog can’t exercise doesn’t mean she can’t get out and enjoy fresh air and sunshine.
I agree that weight loss needn’t be a priority at this time. However, remember that decreased activity can lead to weight gain. Excess weight stresses the heart. At the very least, try to make sure that Zoey doesn’t gain weight.
As for six month heartworm prevention . . . it is not recommended by the experts. The American Heartworm Society and Companion Animal Parasite Council recommend continuous heartworm prophylaxis in all dogs and cats. So do I.
You have questions. 
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Hi there
We had a similar thing happen with our heeler-cross when he was about 3. He had been a stray, and was on HW preventative from when we got him at about 10 months, but apparently he’d already caught it and it wasn’t testing positive yet when we got him. They didn’t catch it for a year and a half. It was a light load, as he’d been on preventative the whole time.
So we went ahead with the ivermectin treatment for him, the first of three scheduled treatments. We brought him home, and I swear he almost died. He’s got to have some collie in him somewhere, because he was extremely sensitive to the treatment. He was disoriented, running into things, falling over, oceans of drool coming out of his mouth, it was so scary. Anyway, he made it through that.
We then consulted with our vet, who consulted with a canine heart specialist, and we all agreed that the best course of action was to see if the one treatment would work. (fortunately, this was possible as he’d been on HW preventative the whole time we had him, so there were no young HWs or eggs built up)
Anyway, the point I’m making is HW preventative is really important. It saved our dog’s life. Some vets will say you don’t have to give it through the fall/winter depending on where you live and how cold it gets, but down here in Texas it’s an every month thing for us. So be sure to keep that HW preventative up. It’s very important! Hope everything turns out ok!