Senior Lab w/ history of heartworms (treated) Expectations?

[kattywompus]

Hi all, this is my first post here and I am hoping for some experience/advice.* We have an 11 1/2 year old chocolate rescue (Beau) that was heartworm positive when we got him in 2002.* He was treated and has been on preventative ever since.* He has always exhibited some shortness of breath with exercise and cannot go as far as our 9 year old chocolate (Dakota) on walks but this weekend he demonstrated decreased exercise tolerance and trouble going up the stairs to the back porch.* Does anyone have experience with seniors that have a history of heartworms?* Can I expect that the heartworms and the subsequent treatment has potentially shortened his life expectancy?* He is so dear to our hearts and I don't want this to be the "beginning of the end" for any of us, especially his best buddy Dakota.* He has always been otherwise healthy but his energy level just seems to have taken a dive.* Or, could this just be "normal" senior behavior of having good days and bad days? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

amanda* *

[mitziandjudysmom]

At 11 you can expect less energy, maybe arthritis. Did you ask your vet about it yet? There was a discussion about this subject several months ago. Try doing a search of "heartworm treatment".

[whitelab21]

I see this was some time ago. How is your guy doing now? Did you ever speak with your vet? I would like to know more about it. I use to work for a vet clinic. We treated A LOT of dogs for heartworms. The treatments are pretty intense as you know. However, its not always the case that they will suffer in some form from having the treatments. But its not un heard of either. It could be just your dogs age catching up with him or the heartworms from years ago.
I guess your vet explained what heart worms do to your dogs heart. It depends on how bad your dog was infected at the time of his treatments. The treatments get rid of the heartworms but do not repair any damage done to the heart. So in his younger years the damage done to his heart may not have affected him as much, but now that he is getting older, it could be. Thats something to think about as well. Sounds like he just needs a check up at the vet to know for sure.