Does heartworm treatment shorten a dog's lifespan?

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asked Nov 17, 2022 in Dogs by Stacyclark (1,080 points)
Does heartworm treatment shorten a dog's lifespan?

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answered Mar 13, 2023 by Vapirusky (36,280 points)
Heartworm treatment for dogs does not always shorten a dog's lifespan.

However in rare cases the heartworm treatment may lead to a shorter life for dogs but if they are not treated for heartworm they would die anyway.

Most dogs continue to live normal lifespans after heartworm treatment.

A dog can survive with hearworm if you get them prompt treatment.

Although in some cases the dog may still die but most dogs do survive heartworm after being treated.

When left untreated the heartworm in dogs will damage the dogs heart as it progresses and also lead to damage of the dogs kidneys, liver and lungs and eventually lead to death.

Heartworm cannot be passed from dog to human.

When a dog has heartworm disease it's not contagious to humans and is only transmitted by the bite of a mosquito that is infected.

People although can in rare cases get heartworms when they are bitten by mosquitos who are infected.

Heartworm, is a parasitic roundworm that is a type of filarial worm, a small thread-like worm, that causes dirofilariasis.

Heartworm disease is spread from host to host through the bites of mosquitoes

When a dog becomes infected with heartworm and is not treated for the heartworm they will usually only live for a month to 4 months at the most.

However it depends on how badly infected the dog is with heartworm as to the actual length of time they have to live.

If you treat the dog with heartworm using heartworm medicine then the dog may not even die from the heartworm.

Most cases of heartworm in dogs can be treated and the dog may go on to live a normal lifespan.

So if you think your dog has heartworm which they get from mosquito bites then have them treated with heartworm medicine.

Treating the dog with heartworm medicine can kill the heartworms and give the dog a chance to survive.

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