Dog being treated for heartworms?

Question

our dog has been diagnosed and is being treated for heartworms, his last 2 injections to kill the woems was 3 wks ago. 2 days ago he started coughing I called the vet and told me to give him cough medicine, but today he was not eating and breathing really fast and had no energy and had a fever. Is this a bad sign ? I left him at the vet today also so they can put an iv and give him a steroid shot and they had me leave him over night. Does anyone know if he will be ok after thi ?

Answer 1

sounds serious. If your dog had a large load of heartworm it can take a toll on them. there is a good chance your dog may not make it but keep your fingers crossed

Answer 2

It sounds like he had a heavy infestation and that the worms may be dying off quickly causing problems. It was a very good idea to get him to the vet and to leave him there where he can be monitored. Heartworm treatment is very hard on a dog. The dog needs to be kept very quiet during the entire course of treatment.
There is no way of knowing at this point if he will be 100% after all is done.Some dogs have lasting effects from heartworm infestation.

Answer 3

Heartworms treatments are just as bad, if not worse, than the heartworms themselves.
What a lot of vets "forget" to mention is that 85% of the dogs going thru the costly treatment, do not make it, and the 15% that do make it, have permanent damage to all vital organs, from filtering the poison given to kill the heartworms.
Heartworms settle in the right chamber of the heart. The only way out for the dead ones is thru the air ways.
It's hard to tell if your dog will be okay. From the symptoms you described, the prognosis is not good.
I wish the dog the best for him, whichever it might be.
Thanks for caring!!!

Answer 4

I had a foster dog with heartworms, and it is very important to keep them calm during treatment. Letting them play is NOT OK! Try putting a blanket over the crates, and then give them a long lasting treat bone, or stuffed Kong type toy. Tell the vet and he may have to give you a sedative. When my foster was being treated it was hard at first, and I had to drastically reduce her food to keep her from getting to fat during the 8 week rest time. Remember, food and treats that may contain fat or sugars may also make them hyper, so talk to the vet about what/how much food is best for them. Last resort, put crates in a closed off room, and get some earplugs! Depending on how bad the case of worms was infecting their heart or lungs (they can get into both), they possible have long term damage. Best wishes for both your babies, and good luck. Give them lots of love, and hang in there.

Answer 5

heartworm treatments are always hard on dogs did you get the dog this way with the heartworms? if so you can probably sue the seller . however if you did not keep the dog on the heartworm meds then I would suggest you do so in the future or you and he will be going through the same thing again in a year please keep him on it okay? good luck and god bless.

Answer 6

Sorry to hear your best friend is suffering from such a horrible condition. I had one dog (many years ago )with heartworms, I was told to reduce coughing to give her an aspirin each day. She was a very large registered yellow lab. BUT, things change and so do new medications and treatments, so please ask first. Good Luck and may God be with you . I'll keep him in my puppy prayers. :)

Answer 7

Sorry to hear that, it sounds very serious. My dog died in October with heart worms. I hope yours is strong enough to handle the treatments. Good luck..

Answer 8

when the worms are killed they can constrict the heart.............