Animals won’t die from this type of disease

It is true that there are some cases of sick animals that can recover if they receive special treatment, but many creatures that are infected with this virus are not so lucky, because unfortunately, heartworm disease could be fatal for our furry friends.

“Heartworms lead to an inflammatory reaction that can cause permanent damage to the blood vessels in the lungs. Apart from the risk of fatality, heartworms can compromise an animal’s quality of life and cause debilitating clinical signs and symptoms, which may improve but not necessarily resolve, even with treatment,” said Dr. Hatton.

In dogs, the symptoms can be quite severe and obvious, but the disease begins with an insistent cough. “Fatigue, difficulty breathing and weight loss are common later in the disease,” Dr. Hatton says. “Left untreated, dogs can go into heart failure and ultimately die.”

In cats, symptoms may include coughing, vomiting and asthma. “The death of one adult heartworm in a cat can cause that cat to die abruptly.”