dogdr

Heartworms can be a very serious problem, especially if the infection is not treated and is left to get worse. Dogs with heartworms can be treated, but the treatment can be very hard on them, even fatal in extreme cases. Basically, the medicine we use kills and starts to break down the worm. The worm peices have no where to go but where the bloodstream takes them, and often this is to the vessels in the lungs. If a dog has a low worm burden, however, they usually show no ill effects and go thru the treatment just fine. Some people hesitate to treat when I say that the treatment could be fatal, but they always end up doing it because the heartworms, if untreated WILL kill their dog eventually.
I have heard of guys treating their dogs, and the dog was fine afterward but couldnt hunt like he used to be able to. I dont have any hard evidence to back that up, just word of mouth. Maybe wvvet or docE can give their experience.