SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The only FDA approved medication to treat a heartworm infection in dogs is in short supply nationwide. The manufacturer of the drug Immiticide has been experiencing a problem in producing the medication for the past year.
Dr. Heath Wiseman with the Springfield Veterinary Center says clinics in the Ozarks have access to a very limited supply of the drug through a European company right now. He says, if a dog gets infected with heartworms, there's a chance the drug may not be available because of the low supply. Wiseman says in those cases, veterinarians can only treat the symptoms to manage the disease, but not eliminate it.
Extreme cases of heartworm infection can be fatal for dogs. Wiseman says it's even more crucial now for pet owners to give their dogs a monthly heartworm prevention medication.
