Why is my fostered dog with heartworms dry-heaving frequently?

What you are describing sounds like a reverse sneeze. Typically, we are concerned with patients developing respiratory distress associated with heartworm treatment secondary to worm die off and blood clot formation. It does not sound like a that is the case here. Nonetheless, contact your veterinarian and let them know. He may need to be evaluated if the sneezing and gagging continue.

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.

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.

This cough could be due to heartworms, especially if your dog isn't up to date on his heartworm treatments, but it could also be due to cardiac disease, respiratory disease, or kennel cough. Given that he has been gagging and hacking for about a week, I would have him seen by a vet tomorrow. The vet can diagnose what is causing his symptoms, and can discuss treatment options with you.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Besides being due to heartworms, coughing can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Scooby evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics to be performed include thoracic radiographs and bloodwork. Treatment would be dependent on findings. Good luck and have a good night!

I don't typically appreciate a raspy voice with heartworm disease, although it can definitely cause coughing. The definitive treatment for heartworm disease is typically a series of intramuscular injections that are given by a veterinarian, so I'm not sure what oral treatment you were given, unless it was the antibiotic doxycycline which is often used to treat a potential secondary infection, or the anti-inflammatory predisone, which controls the clinical signs (coughing). Neither of these is a definitive treatment, so I'm worried that something got confused in the instructions you were given, and I would strongly recommend calling the vet who made the heartworm diagnosis and having a conversation about what comes next.