If a dog had heart worm, would it still act normal?

Question

i was reading about heart worms the other day and it got me thinking. if a dog had heart worms and it was advanced, would it still act normal. like play around and act happy and be normal and all that?

Answer 1

for the most part they do act normal, but can be short of breath, and will have a cough. You should have the dog checked out by a vet to see if it does have heart worms to get them treated. Before it is too late to save them. My dog had them and the only sign she had was coughing. She made it through the treatment.  They can be detected with blood test.Only a vet can do the test.

Answer 2

Until heartworm disease is quite advanced, you will see no outward signs of any problem. That's why blood testing is important. You ideally want to catch the disease, in its early stages, when it is most likely to be treated successfully.

Answer 3

No, if a dog had heart worms it would start to vomit and lose it's appetite.

Laziness and not drink water. You would be able to tell. Trust me.

Answer 4

Advanced heart worms, no.  The earlier the treatment the better the chance of recovery. But without proper veterinary care the dog will die!!!

Answer 5

Adult heartworm block passageways in and out of the heart. The decreased blood flow would result in lethargy, coughing, unable to maintain duration of excercise, anemia (pale gums are a sign). Other organ failure related to the heartworm is common, so you may see signs related to that as well.

This would be with a severe infection - in less severe infections, it would be completely normal to see no signs at all.

The good news is it is really easy to test for. Three drops of blood and an 8-minutes test can diagnose heartworm, as can some blood on a slide.

It is also very easy and inexpensive to prevent.