Can having heartworms cause a dog to have an enlarged heart after they are cured?
Can having heartworms cause a dog to have an enlarged heart after they are cured? General Dog Discussions
I adopted Maggie, my 8 year old beagle mix, from my vet 7 years ago. She was a stray and when they found her, she had heartworms. She was successfully treated and has been doing well up to 4 weeks ago. Around that time, she started coughing and seemed very lethagaric. On our vet visit 4 weeks ago, the doctor took x-rays which showed an enlarged heart and fluid. He also said he detected a moderate heart murmur. (On Maggie's annual vet visit 6 months ago, the vet did not hear a murmur.) The vet prescribed lasix and enalapril maleate to treat congestive heart failure. Last week on a re-check, he added theophylline to her treatment since her symptoms had not improved. This morning, Maggie had an EKG which was normal and more x-rays were done (no change in enlarged heart). We are now waiting for results from this morning's blood draw. The vet now thinks that Maggie may have allergies and not heart disease. Could she have always had an enlarged heart due to the past heartworms?