Weddingbee boards

Unfortunately while we were on our honeymoon I found out that my dog was heartworm positive.  Its really scary because the worms in the heart/organs cause permanent damage over time and eventually can kill the dog. 

We took him to the vet as soon as we got home.  They redid the heartworm blood test to find out what range he is in.  He showed us the test (almost like a pregnancy test you drop the blood on).  The first dot at the top turned blue which meant he is positive for heartworms.  The other dot below that on the right turns blue if he is in the "low" range.  There is a third dot that faintly turned blue (barely at all) if they are in a "high" range.  So the Vet said he's kinda in the middle.  If he had to guess there were somewhere around 30 worms. 

Slow treatment option for "low" cases: Provide normal heartworm medicine monthly and a prescription to kill off other adults.  Over about 2 years the worms will die off (and stop reproducing).  In the mean time, there can be more damage done to the dogs organs. 

Fast treatment option for "high" cases:  2 shots provided within 24 hours of one another to kill off all heartworms immediately.  The dog has to stay relaxed for 6 weeks as the worms decompose and exit the system in the blood stream.  They said he would need to take 2 baby asprin every day to help this process.  It is very dangerous if a dead heartworm gets lodged somewhere in the dogs system. 

We have chosen to go with the fast treatment since he is in the mid range.  I am taking him to the vet tomorrow after work and picking him up Saturday morning.  I am going to be really nervous for the next 6 weeks until we get them all out of his system.

Has anyone else gone through this?  Any suggestions to help keep him calm and safe?  We will cage him during the day and at night (which shouldn't be a big deal, he loves his bed).  I will take him for lots of short slow walks throughout the morning/evenings so he can relieve himself but not over-exert himself.

I also want to make sure his immune system (white blood cells will be what helps kill and carry off the dead worms) throughout this time.  I am contemplating giving him some raw meat throughout this process and maybe some vitamins (garlic and oil? anything else?).

Thanks for the support.  I will let you know how tomorrow goes (for him and me)!

Thanks guys.  Garlic Supplements is actually really good for dogs.  My parents dog goes to a holistic vet and he gets garlic powder on his food every night as a flea repealant.  He is alergic to normal meds so they have to use this. 

@undeniable - There were no symptoms at all.  They said normally the dog can be caughing or run a temperature.  My dog had neither but that might be because he hasn't progressed into a bad case yet.  I had brought him to get his annual shots and check up so he could be boarded at a kennel during our wedding and thats when I found out. 

@sceeder - I am not sure what kind my mom gives the other dog but you can google it and find at amazon and stuff.  Lots of different brands.   Here is a neat article I found online about it:

http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/garlic_for_dogs.html

I dropped the puppy off this morning.  There were a lot of dogs barking in the kennel area so I hope he's ok and is able to rest.  I brought his blanket in (even though I will have to wash it when he gets home) but I wanted him to be comfy and have something from home. 

I am going to call around noon and check on him.  I can go get him after work if I need to, but it would be easier to just leave him there until morning.