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Is slow kill heartworm treatment right for my senior yorkie?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | spayed | 10 years and 11 months old | 4 lbs

I just adopted a 10 year old yorkie who tested positive for heartworms . She's so full of life and the only symptom she is showing is a the soft cough . I'm a RVT and I took her in to work with me to get treatment suggestions . The veterinarian I work for wants to use immiticide but I doubt her little body could take it . How effective would the slow kill method with ivermectin and doxycycline be ? She's not ready to give up yet .

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 22nd, 2018

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Heartworm infected dogs can either be asymptomatic or symptomatic. The cases that are very severe typically need the immiticide treatment to kill the worms quickly and effectively. If dogs are asymptomatic or there are financial concerns, then the Ivermectin and Doxycycline slow kill method is a good option. I've used this method in about 5 heartworm cases (we don't see many where I practice) and all of the cases responded well. If she is asymptomatic or the symptoms are very mild, I would suggest trying the slow kill method to see if it works. If she worsens, then you may have to transition her to the immiticide therapy. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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