Recommendations for Low Cost Heartworm Treatment

Hi everyone!

My husband and I recently adopted a dog from someone on social media. I was assured the dog was vaccinated and heartworm negative. After paying the rehoming fee and receiving the very, very sweet dog, we took him ASAP to a vet. Unsurprisingly, the family has dodged all requests for vet/vaccine records that they simply "forgot" to bring with them when we met up. Because of this, we paid for all new vaccines and testing as we had no records – and sadly, his heartworm testing was positive. The vet informed us treatment would be pricey, but we adopted him and consider treating him part of our responsibility. A quick search online showed that the total course would be 500-1,000 dollars. At the end of the visit, we were handed a treatment plan of dates to return. Stapled to the end of the packet were two estimates for the two upcoming treatment sessions – together totalling over $2,000! Of course, we agreed to pay for his treatment and already started the course with this vet, and we absolutely plan to treat his heartworm. However, this is MUCH higher than what we were initially quoted or prepared for and almost feels as though we have been ripped off.

Does anyone know of any way to have your treatment sponsored or any lower cost clinics that are available? I looked at BARC, but it seems to be only for dogs adopted from the shelter. A few other places had programs that are since suspended due to COVID.