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How much does heartworm treatment cost?
CareCredit publishes the full adulticide protocol for a medium-sized dog at $1,200–$1,800. Set that beside the same guide's other two numbers — a heartworm test averages $71 and a monthly preventive dose averages $14 — and the economics of the disease are the whole story of this page.
| Heartworm — published figures (CareCredit, 2025) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Full treatment, medium dog | $1,200–$1,800 |
| Heartworm test | average $71 · range $56–$128 |
| Monthly prevention dose | average $14 · range $11–$25 |
| Low-cost / nonprofit protocols | $225–$614 (source notes these may not follow American Heartworm Society recommendations) |
What the treatment figure covers
The published protocol is a multi-month course, not a single visit: confirmatory and staging tests (blood panel, X-rays or ultrasound to assess heart and lung damage); one to two months of pre-treatment — an antibiotic course targeting the Wolbachia bacteria the worms carry, a preventive, and a steroid — with strict activity restriction from this phase onward; then the three-dose melarsomine regimen (one injection, a 30-day rest, then two injections 24 hours apart, with hospital monitoring after each); and about a month of continued restriction after the last injection. What drives the price, per CareCredit: the severity of the infection, the dog's health history, the protocol prescribed, the dog's size, and your location.
This page publishes costs only. Whether a dog needs testing, prevention, or treatment — and which protocol — is a veterinarian's determination; heartworm disease itself is serious and time-sensitive, and no figure here is a reason to delay a vet visit.
X-rays, ultrasound and bloodwork each carry published prices — see the imaging and bloodwork guides.
Read the imaging cost guideSources: CareCredit / Synchrony — A Dog Owner's Guide to Heartworm Treatment (2025). Researched October 2026 — prices change; confirm with your clinic.