Heart worms?

Question

Can someone tell me the signs and symptoms of heart worms??

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS; NOT SOLUTIONS.

..::we have a year old pom/chihuahua mix and lately he's been "coughing" - its not a normal cough, almost as if he's got asthma kinda? its hard to explain... someone told us that it could be heart worms...

Answer 1

A dog infested with heart worms is probably asymptomatic, this is without symptoms. If it does show any symptoms, usually after about three years of infestation, they are usually a soft deep cough, shortness of breath, and intolerance to exercise. Heart worms are injected into dogs through the saliva of mosquitoes. All dog should be tested for heart worms at six months of age. If they are found then treatment can be started to eradicate them. This is complicated and needs to be supervised by a vet. After all hearts worms have been killed or the dog test negative for them, then a prevention program can be started.

Answer 2

Coughing can be a sign but usually signs don't show until it have advanced pretty far. If you dog is a pom mix you should really have it seen by a vet cause that breed and many other small breeds are prone to a problem called collapsing trachia. And coughing and hacking is major sign of that. Please get your dog seen so it can be treated before it gets too bad, weather its heartworms or not.

Answer 3

Dogs begin to get skinny. They cough a lot, lose their appetite. They seem tired and listless. May stop wagging their tails.

I had 2 like that. Treatment is hard on the dog. Those who survive do well. Prevention is very cheap-about $8 per dog per month at the very most. Treatment cost about $400 and can kill the dog. The test is about $20.

Answer 4

Lack of energy, easy to tire, coughing, these are symptoms of heart worm.

However, these symptoms, and others, are common in many ailments so they only way to be sure is to have the dog tested, which is inexpensive. Here are heart worm test is only $14...

Sorry I couldn't be of more help!

Answer 5

There are no symptoms at all until the disease is very advanced. Then, the symptoms are those of congestive heart failure: dull coat, lack of energy, coughing, difficulty breathing, perhaps fainting spells and an enlarged abdomen. Waiting for symptoms to develop and then treating is not a realistic alternative to prevention.

Answer 6

Some advanced symptoms of this is weight loss and coughing after exercise. I would encourage you to talk to you vet about this, it could possibly be heart disease, (is your pet overweight? This is a big factor in heart disease) or also a collapsed trachea.

Good Luck!

Answer 7

coughing ... listlessness..... gets overexerted easy during walking etc ... i have a boxer that is currently under treatment for heart worms ... in later stages they can faint... eventually without treatment they will die .... get your dog to the vet if they are coughing all the time that is the first sign we saw ... Austin is now doing better ... and the treatment is rather expensive but worth it ..

Answer 8

Coughing is one, & wheezing loudly. My vet thought my dog might have heart worm, and ran a blood test but thank God it came back that she did not have it. That is all I know.

Answer 9

It could be heart worms, it could be kennel cough, it could be a number of things. My advice - TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE VET!

Answer 10

Here ..i cross my fingers that your dog is not infected .

SIGNS OF HEARTWORM DISEASE- IN THE DOG

Two major mechanisms result in the signs of Heartworm disease seen in dogs. The first is due to the damage the worms cause to the arteries in the lungs (called the Pulmonary arteries). The second is the mechanical obstruction of blood flow that results from the inflammation and the number of worms present.

When a dog is first infested with Heartworm there are no visible or detectable signs. The infection cannot be detected even with a blood test. The changes in the victim start to occur when the final molt of the Heartworm larvae occurs and the immature L5 larvae arrive in the right ventricle and neighboring blood vessels. The arteries do not do well with worms living inside them. The artery lining is damaged within days, the body responds by inducing inflammation of the artery, called endarteritis, and other inflammation in the area to try to heal the damage. Unfortunately, the worms cause damage at a rate faster than the body can heal. The arteries over time develop certain characteristics that are typical of Heartworm disease, often these changes can be seen on x-rays. The vessels become tortuous and dilated. Blood clots and aneurysms are a common side effect, and complete blockage of small blood vessels can occur. The blood re-routes to non-worm burdened arteries. The result is complete and partial blockage of blood vessels and fluid begins to accumulate around these blood vessels in the lungs. This results in a loss of useful lung tissue and reduces the effective area of the lungs to oxygenate the blood for the body’s needs. As a result of the inflammation, blood vessel obstruction, and fluid accumulation, coughing results. The dog or cat displays exercise intolerance, nosebleeds, shortness of breath and a type of pneumonia may occur secondary to the increase in lung inflammation (called pulmonary eosinophilic granulomatosis).

As immature L5 worms continue to arrive and mature in the heart and lungs, the total number of worms at various stages of maturity increase and as they grow in size and number the above conditions take their toll. The host’s reactions become more significant and the signs worsen. More and more blood vessels and the surrounding lung tissue are damaged and not useful to the dog and this results in an increased resistance to blood flow through the lungs. This “backup” increases the blood pressure (hypertension) in the right side of the heart and Vena Cava due to the obstruction of blood flow. With accumulation of even more fluid in the lungs, the end result is the signs of actual heart failure. The severity depends on the number of worms present and the dog’s reaction to the worms. The failing, weakened, stretched heart muscle results in rhythm abnormalities, fluid accumulation in the lungs (called pulmonary edema) and exercise intolerance.

Over time, the immune system becomes “turned on” at a rate higher than normal. This puts extra proteins (in the form of antibodies) into circulation and they can settle out in the various organs of the body that are delicate in nature such as the eye, kidney, blood vessels, and joints. This causes inflammation, more tissue damage, and pain.

One of the most severe signs of heartworm is called Caval Syndrome or Vena Cava Syndrome. This is seen when there are large numbers of adult worms (usually around 100 or more) in the heart. There is almost complete blockage of all blood flow. Many times there will be no signs of heart disease prior to the animal’s collapse. When fainting and collapse does occurred it is accompanied by severe shock, red blood cell destruction, and often death within 1-2 days. Sometimes the only chance for survival in these cases is for the veterinarian to surgically remove the worms from the heart through the jugular vein. If enough worms can be removed to re-establish sufficient blood flow, there is some chance of survival.


Stage I Lowest risk... young healthy dogs with minimal Heartworm disease evident on X-rays and all other tests are normal.

Stage II Moderately affected dogs... some coughing is noticed, some difficulty breathing, changes are seen on X-rays, and blood work may reveal some kidney and/or liver damage.

Stage III Severely affected dogs... the patient has weight loss, coughing, difficulty breathing, more damage visible on x-rays, and blood tests shows kidney and/or liver damage.

Stage IV Vena Cava Syndrome or Caval Syndrome... the dog is collapsing in shock, all of the above abnormalities are more intense and the dog is dying. They are initially treated with surgical jugular removal of some worms if possible. There is no guarantee this treatment will be successful and many patients with Caval Syndrome die in spite of attempts to treat.