Was Samson taking the medication when he got heartworm??? Now that you have said that he was at the vet to treat heartworm I understand why they would have kept him overnight...totally precautionary I am sure. Let us know when he is home!!!

Angela

Yes - that is true. They have to test for it before they give the medication or it can be deadly. When we took Rosie to get her heartwork last week, they did the test right there (took 7 minutes) and when they saw it was negative, they gave me the pills.

We had a black lab that tested positive when I was a kid. He received the treatments and the vet said it was absolutely necessary that he be calm and quiet for 24 hours. We put him in a kennel away from the other dog so he could be quiet. The neighbor who didnt know any better and always played with him got him out and played ball with him, and he put him back in the kennel. The dog died minutes after. Maybe they want to be absolutely sure that your baby is kept quiet and calm. Dont know if that is the case, but maybe it helped.

Lisa

My vet said that before giving any heart worm medicine they have to test first for heart worm. The test needs to be negative before they will give the medicine. Evidently a dog can die from the heart worm medication if they actually have a heart worm and weren't tested before the mecation was administered.
Someone else more experienced with this may have more info.

I forgot to tell you:
Yes there is a shot they give for heartworm preventative. It is supposed to be good for 6 months. But the vet tech at my vet's office said she did not like them....I cannot remember why, but it had something to do with the timing on keeping the shots at exactly 6 months. As for me, I just use Heartgard, and mark my date book to remind myself to give the bullies their "treat" on the first of every month.
Jane

I am sorry, I did not explain that very well. Samson has heartworms and is being treated. He had his first two shots 24 hours apart 30 days ago. Now he is in for a blood test, and his last treatment shot.
Sorry for confusing you!!
Jane

I live in the most mosquito infested area of the U.S. We give heartworm pills to the dogs every month, year long. I have not heard of a heart worm shot. Maybe it is something new that I am just not familiar with. Anyway, did they tell you why they wanted to keep him over night. And do they have a staff that is there 24 hours?

Thank you, Julia, for your thoughts. I am beginning to think that you are right. It is just a precaution.
My vet is one of the very best, and if something were wrong, they would have told me. I guess I sort of got myself into a little panic there. Thanks for helping me out of it. (smile)
Jane

We've never done the heartworm shot, so I can't speak from experience on the overnight thing.

I'd like to think that if something were wrong, they'd let you know. In fact, I'm SURE they would. So I'm sure he's fine. Maybe it's just a safety precaution - for adverse reaction monitoring. (I work in clinical trials. )

Still, I'll be thinking about Samson tonight. Let us know.

Julia

I hope everything is ok Prayers to your sweet Boy.