My heartworm dog has a dry cough and wheeze. Should I worry?

If he is heartworm positive then the coughing is likely associated with it. Heartworms live in the pulmonary artery which is what takes the blood from the heart to the lungs to get oxygen. They can cause significant decrease in the amount of blood flow as well as they are really inflammatory. Their presence makes the lungs really angry and that causes cough. In later stages the heart can be so damaged that they can go into heart failure, which can also cause cough. I would highly encourage you to schedule a follow up appointment with your veterinarian to discuss this disease and how to treat it. I would also recommend an x-ray of the chest to see how much damage has already occurred. In the meantime I would encourage you to keep him on leash and not running around where he might cause more damage. Best of luck to you and Max! I hope he recovers well! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Any change in breathing warrants a trip to the vet for a recheck. While it’s possible that there’s nothing wrong, you could also be noticing the beginning of a complication of heartworm treatment. Pulmonary thromboembolism can occur when dying worms become lodged in the small blood vessels of the lungs. Your vet might want to take a chest x-ray.

These signs are compatible with the heartworm infection which can cause dyspnoea and respiratory signs. I would strongly advice to contact your local veterinarian as these signs might be compatible with respiratory/cardiovascular complications during heartworm treatment.

Hello, there are multiple causes for a cough like the one you are describing. One potential cause may include heartworm disease, however, this can be checked with a snap test. If it returns positive for heartworm, then there are medications you can try at home to treat this disease. Other causes may include heart disease and lung disease. Some primary lung diseases such as bronchitis and pneumonia can cause this. To fully explore this causes for your dog's cough, he may need x-rays, a cardiology consultation, and a heart worm test. The other cause in smaller dogs include a collapsing trachea. Ideally your coughing dog should not live an fast or active lifestyle to prevent exacerbation of her cough and from her going into respiratory distress. Please see your veterinarian soon if your dog continues to cough. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Poor Bonnie! Coughing up blood is not expected with heartworm disease and indicates significant inflammation. It could also indicate a worsening of the condition. I recommend to take her in to see the veterinarian. It's better to be safe. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I would be concerned about these signs even if they are related to heartworm disease, and would not consider this type of coughing as typical for a dog recovering from heartworm. If she seems to be having trouble breathing you should seek emergency veterinary care. A chest x-ray might be recommended depending on how Tess's chest sounds on physical exam.

Coughing can occur from the damage the worms are doing to the lungs. It could also be caused by the worms dying off and causing inflammation, although I'm not sure how likely that is with the slow kill method. I would recommend keeping him crated and resting (no walks, no running, no excitement -- basically no getting his heart rate up) until he can get to the vet for evaluation, which will likely include chest x-rays and a discussion of if he needs anti-inflammatory medication and cage rest to get through this treatment. Wishing you and Bug (love his name!) the best of luck.