Hello, as you remember me looking for a beagle to adopt (I'm still am), one of the county shelter contacted me about a beagle wanting a home. So we went to see it and boy, he's a adorable sweet little boy. Problem is he got a very severe heartworm disease. He just completed his first treatment and have two more to go. It will take about two months for him to complete his treatment. Now my question is what's the dog's life span after the treatment? He's over 5 years old and very playful (I'm surprised they let him play after treatment - not supposed to). I don't want my son to go through mourning/depression period again after his first dog died last year. I need to make sure. The shelter gave me his medical record and they told me to talk to my vet about it, but they are closed on weekend. I will go see the vet tomorrow and ask for her thoughts. I was told the treatment would cost about $1,000 and I'll be happy to help pay for him getting better.
I adopted a dog with heartworm disease 11 years ago. I still have her and she is as healthy as if it had never happened. If you are willing to help the little dog out, I say "go for it".
Talk to a vet, but I am pretty sure once treated, it makes no difference in the dogs health. Just be prepared, beagles are loud,vocal dogs. I've got one.
Our dog had heartworm the third year we had her. Six years later, she is still with us. One vet told us that it would cost us $750.00 minimum to treat her but that there would be additional costs for follow-up. I was then referred to Magnolia Animal Hospital on Capital Blvd. and paid $325 for the treatment.
the new treatment for heartworm is supposed to be better than the old, but it is still listed as having some risk. If you decied to treat be sure to ask what the risks are because they may not mention them all due to the lack of probability. We have experienced that first hand. What the vets did not tell us is the treatment for heartworms also had the potential to damage the liver of the dog as that is the organ filtering the poison (arsenic at that time) they inject to kill the heartworms. It was not a common result but it did happen and our vet did not inform us until we were dealing with the liver failure of our dog. The sad part is they were not sure of the presence of heartworm even after three tests but wanted to be safe for the dog. We wound up shortening her life much more than it would have even if she had heartworms.
I adopted a dog who had heartworm and she is the best dog I ever owned. She went through treatment3 years ago. She is very active and loving. She has had no problems since. I dont regret keeping her one bit. Good Luck
Good luck! We've had two Beagles in our family & they were the best dogs we've ever had. We still technically have them, but due to my husband's illness, I couldn't continue to care for them like I wanted to. THey live my parents & in-laws at the moment. From what I've been told about the Beagle we fostered & later adopted with heartworm, they can make a full receovery if they are treated in a timely manner.
My neighbor's yellow lab was diagnosed with heartworm disease when he was 5yrs old, and they had him treated. He is now 14 years old, and although old age is doing a number on him (pretty much deaf, can't see very well and relies on his sniffer to know who's around, and now his hips are giving out so he can't do stairs any longer) he is still spirited and a big part of the family. He has grown up with the kids in the neighborhood and my kids always look forward to seeing him when we go to visit now. He's like a favorite uncle. So glad he had the treatment. It is worth it.
Unless the worms caused extensive damage, the dog should be able to pretty much live out it's normal lifespan. That said, it is NOT a good idea for the shelter to allow this dog to play. ANY activity that increases the dogs heartrate can put it in danger of throwing a clot, which can kill the dog. IF you adopt this dog, do not play with it, rather keep it as calm and quiet as possible until it is cleared by your vet to resume normal activity.
