How long can a dog live without heartworm treatment?

I have an 11 year old boxer who was diagnosed with heartworms. The vet suggested we continue giving her heartguard and not do the heartworm treatment. She has a good quality of life for being an old girl, she still eats dry dog food, she doesn't suffer from incontinence, and she sleeps on a small sofa sized dog bed. Like most boxers she does have some joint discomfort and undergoes steroid shot treatments every couple of months. Should we go to another vet to seek the heartworm treatment? Has anyone on here had to go through this before?I always thought they couldn't be on it they were heartworm positive either but our vet said we can. She has been on preventative since she was puppy but sometime last year we ran out and in the process of moving didn't realize it. As soon as we did we started her back on it and just recently took her to the vet for her yearly shots and found out she was heartworm positive. It's heartbreaking to know that just those few months without it caused to her.

I have 3 dogs1 Welsh Corgiand 2 Chiuhahasand we use Heartgaurd and they dont have worms

This is always a hard question to answer. I would take her for the heartworm treatment if she's not in bad shape. Its harder to watch our animal friends suffer long term. Imagine your own heart filled with worms. Can you imagine how hard it must be? Its your decision ultimately but if she's been loyal to you, you should do the same.

It wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion. I was under the impression that heartworm medicine (the monthly pills) couldn't be given to a heartworm positive dog. I may be wrong on this, so don't take it like the gospel.But at 11 years old and being a larger breed, your dog is considered senior. Heartworm treatment is pretty rough though it's better than it used to be. I can't stress enough that it's pretty rough for a dog for a few days after the treatments (plural because there will be more than one).Just like doctors don't want to put elderly people through surgery-especially major surgery, a vet wouldn't want to perform a treatment such as this on a senior pet.If it were me I would certainly get another opinion just to ease my conscious, but you are likely to get the same response.As far as how long your pet will live....that's a tough question. I'm sure the vet has told you to keep his activity level down. Heartworms wreak havoc on the heart and over exertion can lead to cardiac arrest.**By the way, if you do decide to go ahead with the treatment..follow your vets instructions like the Bible. It is pertinent that the dog doesn't get excited. This is crucial as the worms are breaking off and dying. At our animal shelter our HW dogs are kenneled after treatments and only go on walks to potty and to relax. Absolutely no play, running, etc.Hopefully this will be an eye opener to anyone reading this post. This is why pets should be on monthly heartworm preventative.

why would a vet suggest NOT doing heartworm treatment on a dog that has heartworms?that seems weird to me, i'd definitely go to another vet.

Dogs can live their whole lives without heartworm treatment as it is just a preventative to stop them from getting heartworms from mosquitos. As she HAS heartworms this is a problem. Dogs can die quite quickly from heartworm so she should be treated for it. As long as its not too serious she will live but unfortunately sometimes it is too late and they can die. Most heartworm preventatives say on the packet NOT to give to a dog that already has heartworm and you should test your dog for heartworm before using. So i would suggest you to see another vet and look at getting it treated, or what other options you may have. There is no point in giving a dog that has heartworm a heartworm preventative and it seems odd a vet would say that.

The treatment for heartworm disease can be undergone by most dogs, with varying results. Treating the heartworm involves killing the heartworms, which sometimes causes the worms to float into the lungs. In an older pet, the dilemma regarding treatment is that the treatment could cause side effects, ones that could be worse in an older pet, such as kidney, liver and lung disease. And sometimes dogs outlive the heartworms, which only live about 3-5 years. A positive test only indicates that there are adult heartworms, not how many there are. There could be 2 or 20. 1or 2 worms usually will not cause tremendous heart disease. If it were my dog, and she was reasonably healthy otherwise, I would strongly consider just using the heartgard. It will keep new worms from developing, and doesn't have any real side effects. It will not stop any heart damage if there is a large heartworm burden. If you choose to do the heartworm treatment, you need to have chest xrays, and full blood work and a urine sample checked prior to the treatment. Even though the package says that the monthly heartworm treatment shouldn't be used in positive dogs, it can be used under a veterinarian's supervision. It is not considered a treatment for the adult heartworms, but merely kills the earlier life stages of the worm. And in dogs that are either unable due to health reasons, or financial reasons to undergo the full treatment, it is a viable option. Good luck, whatever you decide. If you want a second opinion, you should get one.

It costs nothing to phone a vet at a different clinic and ask them this question.

Don't feel too guilty about skipping a couple of months of the heartworm preventative, especially if it was winter time with no mosquitos I know quite a few people who have given heartgard faithfully and it has failed, my husband and I use Ivermectin and he has been raising dogs for 35 years with never any cases of heart worms. A good number of our beagles have lived to be 14 years old, I would ask your vet for a different treatment/ preventative and research heart worms.

hi,Heartworms are exactly what they sound like: thin, spaghetti-like worms that can grow up to 12 inches long and that live inside the dog's heart. Untreated, they can lead to congestive heart failure. Heartworm disease isn't a wait-and-see proposition--prevention is part of taking good care of your dog. Even if your dog spends little time outside, there's a good chance he'll become infected without treatment. It's that common.here's more info: http://www.mediumurl.com/?r=134676914906591224226670541388 hope this helps.