File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Dearest an/ today is a solem day. My jack russel named Dio died today of heartworms. Was there anything i could have done. I noticed he was lethargic yesterday. But i thought it was a cold becouse we had had heav rains the night before. Are there any early warning signs?
>> Anonymous
Hhm. Gee. I don't know. Maybe you shouldn've taken him to THE VET.

but.
"Dogs show no indication of heartworm infestation during the 6 month long prepatent period prior to the worms' maturation, and current diagnostic tests for the presence of microfilariae or antigens cannot detect prepatent infections. Rarely, migrating heartworm larvae get "lost" and end up in unusual sites such as the eye, brain, or an artery in the leg, which results in unusual symptoms such as blindness, seizures and lameness.

Many dogs will show little or no sign of infection even after the heartworms have matured. To some degree these dogs may be described as seeming to age slightly faster than normal as the worms slowly damage the lungs, kidneys and liver. These animals usually have a light infection and live a fairly sedentary lifestyle. However, active dogs and those with heavier infections will quickly show the classic symptoms of heartworm disease. Early symptoms include a cough, especially on exercise, and early exhaustion upon exercise. More advanced cases progress to severe weight loss, fainting, coughing up blood, and, finally, congestive heart failure."
>> tigerfeather !CrwtTbFNxQ
There's always preventative care, since heartworms are difficult to treat (the treatments can kill the dogs....).

With your future pets, ask your vet about Heartguard Plus and any regional brands of heartworm prevention medication. You could have also opted for Revolution and kept away external parasites as well as heartworms.

Shame on your vet for not telling you about the preventative, unless he/she DID, in which case shame on you for not using it.

My condolences for your loss, however, it is truly difficult to lose a family member.