Not all dogs with heartworm disease develop into stage 4. But if it is left untreated, heartworm disease will progress and damage the dog's heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, eventually causing death.
“Remember that the heartworm can stay alive up to six years in the dog,” she states. “In early stages without lung and heart failure, 98 percent of dogs will be cleared of heartworm with an intensive three-dose protocol. But the very best prognosis comes from regular prevention year-round.”
Once mature, heartworms can live for 5 to 7 years in dogs and up to 2 or 3 years in cats. Because of the longevity of these worms, each mosquito season can lead to an increasing number of worms in an infected pet.
Signs of heartworm disease may include a mild persistent cough, reluctance to exercise, fatigue after moderate activity, decreased appetite, and weight loss. As heartworm disease progresses, pets may develop heart failure and the appearance of a swollen belly due to excess fluid in the abdomen.
Myth 5: Heartworm Disease Is Rarely Fatal
Apart from the risk of fatality, heartworms can compromise an animal's quality of life and cause debilitating clinical signs and symptoms, which may improve but not necessarily resolve, even with treatment.”
Is heartworm painful? - Animal Hospital of Statesville. It's not painful, per se, but they feel sick, uncomfortable, and they're likely having difficulty breathing. They're not perfusing very well, so they don't feel well.
Some diseases require conventional medications to prevent and treat them, and heartworm is one. But natural therapies can reduce your dog's risk of being infected.
After treatment, the adult worms die and are carried by the blood to the lungs where they lodge in small blood vessels. There they decompose and are absorbed by the body over a period of several months.
Microfilariae must pass through a mosquito to become infective larvae. When the infected mosquito bites another dog, the mosquito spreads the infective larvae to the dog through the bite wound. In the newly infected dog, it takes about 6 to 7 months for the infective larvae to mature into adult heartworms.
Stage 4 – Heartworms have caused severe damage to the animals heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. In this stage, Caval syndrome is likely. Caval syndrome is when there is such a large amount of worms blocking blood flow to the heart that it creates a sudden life-threatening problem in need of quick surgical intervention.
Dogs that have a high number of heartworms often develop symptoms such as pronounced and persistent coughing, difficulty breathing, and exercise intolerance. In more severe cases, dogs may also experience fainting or collapse, pale mucous membranes, weakness, elevated heart rate (tachycardia) and severe lethargy.
Dogs with heavy worm burdens, have been infected for a long time, or are very active, often show obvious symptoms. There are four classes, or stages, of heartworm disease.
If owners can't afford treatment at the time of diagnosis, Dr. Herrin recommended delaying melarsomine therapy but still initiating treatment with both a preventive and doxycycline. This will prevent further infection and remove the dog as a heartworm reservoir.
Remember this disease is 100 % preventable. The best treatment for heartworm disease is prevention no matter your pet's age!
An injectable drug, melarsomine (brand name Immiticide®), is given to kill adult heartworms. Melarsomine kills the adult heartworms in the heart and adjacent vessels. This drug is administered in a series of injections.
A complication of heartworm infection, known as caval syndrome, leads to shock-like symptoms and sudden death.
Walking outside to use the restroom or to sit outside with you to enjoy the weather is ok, but no walks (short or long) for exercise. Be advised that the severity of heartworm disease is directly related to the activity level of the dog.
Average Cost of Treatment. The average cost of heartworm treatment for dogs is often around $1,000. However, it can range from $500 to $1,100 or even more depending mainly on the size of your dog, veterinary bills, and the stage of the disease.
Two very common things that can cause gagging in dogs are infectious problems and laryngeal paralysis. Kennel cough, which is a type of respiratory infection, is a common cause of dog gagging, which results in a harsh, goose-like cough, sometimes followed by a gag.
Myth #3: If my pet has heartworms, I will see them in her feces. Although many worm types, such as roundworms and tiny hookworms, are shed in your pet's feces, heartworms do not live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and are not found in feces.
Many people believe that thanks to advances in heartworm prevention in the past decade, heartworm is rarely found in Australia.
There are really two types of heartworm medicine for dogs: (1) those that prevent heartworms in dogs; and (2) those that are used to treat heartworms in dogs after they become infected. Preventive medications come in several forms, including chewable pills, topical “spot-ons” and injectable medications.
Treatment Requires a Vet's Help
Once a positive test is confirmed, our veterinarians (in alignment with the American Heartworm Society) recommend treating adult heartworm infections with 3 treatments (injections) of a drug called melarsomine.
Heartworm causes a dry, persistent loud cough in dogs because of the parasite's ability to travel throughout the body. As the parasites travel, they find themselves in dogs' lungs, which creates a blockage and makes it difficult for your dog to breathe.
Finally, frequent vomiting usually goes along with heartworms. Dogs who cough often may cause themselves to vomit as a result of their extensive coughing. Some dogs may feel nauseated from their heartworms as well, and may vomit often just because they feel so sick with the disease.