pekingese death

Question
i was wondering if you could help me. I had a 13 yo pekingese die in july this year. He was on enaparil for his heart he was also heartworm positive.He had been on advantage for 2 years but my mom waited 10 days before putting his flea meds on. he puntcured his cornea and it became infected. When she noticed she brought him to the vet who wanted to pts. She said no and brought him home on pain pills, he died 2 days later My question is could all these things that were wrong with him kill him or  was it more the heart. Could 10 days without flea meds have done him in any thoughts would help. He was a stray that was dumped in the streets i found him and had him for 9 years. he was having troulble getting around and should all the symptons of chf

Answer
Mark -

I am sorry for the death of your pet. It is difficult for me to tell you what caused your pet's death but it seems as though infection may have been a contributor to his death.

A punctured cornea can lead to infection in the eye which may have spread into the bloodstream.  The fact that your dog was heartworm positive may have really been the reason your dog passed away.   Heartworms cause congestive heart failure.

In the future, place your dog on medication that prevents heartworm disease. Heartworm meds are extremely effective in preventing heartworm disease which is almost always fatal.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM