Friday, May 28, 2010

How long do dogs live after being diagnosed with heart worm disease ? (After treatment

How long do dogs live after being diagnosed with heart worm disease ? (After treatment)?
We are thinking about adopting a dog who has minimal heart worm disease. (or so they say) And I was really worried about the fact that if it were to be more severe how long would the poor dog live after treatment? What types of damages can occur in the heart? And also, can it be passed on to humans?
Dogs - 7 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
If the treatment is successful, especially if the disease is mild and/or caught early, the dog can likely live out its full typical lifespan. It's not transmissible to humans.
2 :
After a treatment at this stage they generally go on to have a normal life. My family dog lived to be 15 after her treatment, and would have lived longer had she not had other health issues. Heartworms come from mosquitoes, not dogs, and while people have been known to get them, it's very, very rare. If it's really minimal , and the dog is otherwise healthy, please give him/her a good home! You won't regret it.
3 :
Dogs in the UK rarely get heart worm disease, however I watch the animal programmes on T.V. There are numerous dogs who have heart worm which is treated and cured. They have tests to prove this. Humans do not get heartworms. Love your new dog, he needs you.
4 :
Many years ago, before the preventative medication, my German Shepherd had several bouts with heartworms. But, still, she lived to age 13. So, if you catch it early and treat it, there's no problem. However, if you live where heartworms are a problem, I'd get him/her treated and put him/her on preventative meds.
5 :
We adopted a 2 y/o Border Collie in Sept. of 2000. He was heartworm + when they found him. He is now going on 10 y/o with no problems associated with the HW.
6 :
Email me, I have a report, but its in pdf and its 61 pages long... Tons of info on heartworm you need to see before you make a decision either way.,
7 :
If a dog is treated successfully and the infestation isn't too terribly severe the dog can recover to live a normal healthy life. In severe untreated infections there can be some damage to the heart. A vet would have to make the assessment if it would at all affect the dog though. With good care, the dog can still live a long happy life. Heart worms from an infected dog can not be passed to humans

Read more discussions :

Monday, May 24, 2010

do u think that heart disease, cancer and stroke largely preventable by individual choice

do u think that heart disease, cancer and stroke largely preventable by individual choice?
according to the CDC heart disease, cancer, and stoke are the top 3 leading causes of death in the united states and i just want ur opinion on what u think and why.
Heart Diseases - 7 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
No - all three have a genetic component so you might get one or more even if you live the healthiest of lifestyles...
2 :
By controlling modifiable risk factors (i.e. smoking, diet/exercise, diabetes/HTN/cholesterol) one can potentially prevent early vascular disease and it's complications. Unfortunately, we can't modify our genes/gender or stop the aging process, so everyone will inevitably develop heart disease/stroke/cancer if they live long enough and don't succumb to something else.
3 :
only to a small degree. take a woman who's mother does everything wrong like no excercise eats all the wrong things smokes and gets built up plaque in arteries and has to surgerically fixed then the daughter is at risk even if she does the complete opposite just because the mother has it.. cancer is in all of us. something triggers it and then depending on when they catch it and what type could be curable.
4 :
Yes but genetics play a factor in all 3
5 :
It depends on what you mean by "individual choice".... Strokes are something people have no control over. There aren't certain things you do in every day life that increase your chance of stroke. It's just genetic. Only certain types of heart diseases can be prevented. Most are buildup in the arteries from years of bad eating. Outside of that, heart disease is genetic as well. Lung, throat and oral cancer can be caused by smoking but that's not the only thing that causes those cancers. Genetics play a major role in the rest of the cancers. The reason they are the top leading causes of death is because they aren't preventable. They aren't things you can catch by standing next to someone with them. They are things that can appear and kill a person quickly or slowly.
6 :
Firstly Heart Disease, Heart disease has two seperate primary factors Lifestyle and genetics. Livestyle factors, such as obesity, too much colestoral and lack of exercise, can be altered by a person's actions however Genetic factors, such as the Aortic Stignosis that i myself suffered from in my youth, can not be. Cancer, rather than a single disease is a number of closely related problems and so to condense it down to a single cause is rather foolish. While some cancers such as Skin, Lung and Throat cancers are known to be brought on by enviromental factors, sunbathing and smoking respectively, However these by themselves are not entire causes, since genetic diseases such as Lupus can increase people's chances of getting cancer. Stroke is primarily caused by a clot in the brain. As such while this can be encouraged by certain enviromental factors it comes down to a number of medical factors. So the awnser is that in some cases they may be preventable or at least have their impact reduced by individual choice but there is no way that we can lay the blame for these conditions at the feet of individuals.
7 :
Genetics play a huge part....but, people can prevent it, or atleast change the outcome by exercising, not smoking, drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, and eating right

Read more discussions :

Thursday, May 20, 2010

A link between heart disease being the leading cause of death for women, and the birth control pill

A link between heart disease being the leading cause of death for women, and the birth control pill?
I've been researching the pill lately as a birth control option, and the more I read about it, the more alarming I find it. If heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, is there a connection between this and the birth control pill, which from a few prescribing information sheets I've read, list heart attack and stroke as potential side effects? Here's one link that mentions the risk (it plays up the risk as being greater if you smoke, but even if you don't, the risk is still there. Potential heart attack from taking a pill?) http://www.thepill.com/html/ppil/faq.jsp?#faq5
Heart Diseases - 4 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
good for you... being informed is half the battle... pharmaceutical companies would word it differently than you have, and they have.... but then again, they stand to make millions at the cost of women's lives.... I would be willing to bet that most women connected to the top honchos of these companies are not on the pill.
2 :
I'm glad you're informed, but i have a problem with the fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death. The fact is that nobody dies of "old age" anymore. Old people are considered to have died from heart failure because their hearts stop. So I think the government is screwing us over by skewing the statistics. Hope that helps.
3 :
I think the increase in the rate of death from heart disease has more to do with the drastic increases in obesity in women much more so than the pill. The correlation between between obesity and heart disease is well proven. Stroke, etc assocatiated with the pill has more to do with the increased risk of blood clots. I'm a nurse and have been on the pill for 10+ years. The female OB/GYNs I know take the pill also.
4 :
I think there is a link between the pill and cervical cancer also and cysts. You didn't hear about cervical cancer before the pill came along?? So it quite possible for heart disease?

Read more discussions :