Dog vomiting mucus..help please!

[LivingWithCrazyPeople]

I have a 4yr old husky mix that is heartworm positive.  Due to the risk and cost of treatment we decided to keep her on preventitive in hopes of stopping further growth and hopefully slowly killing the adults.  This being said, she has had no change in diet... no change in behavior (happy, active, etc.) and no change in attitude.  She has, however, started throwing up mucus.  It has happened about the last 3 days once or twice in a day.  There seems to be nothing other than a piece of grass or tiny speck of food in the mucus.  Can you tell me what may be causing this, if it is only temporary, and what I may be able to do to help or stop it??  ~Lisa

[sm820]

Mucus can be associated with the gallbladder & the liver. Hope she feels better soon.

[LivingWithCrazyPeople]

The mucus is clear...and slimy.  there is usually nothing in it but maybe a tiny bit of food or grass.  Once it was mid morning and I don't think she had eaten anything and once was immediately after eating which I thought was maybe from eating too quickly.  Until about 3 days ago I have not noticed her ever throwing up.  She doesn't have a cough or weezing or sneeze or running nose.  Her nose is also it's normal wetness and not sign of fever.

[Misfits4Me]

What does the Mucus look like? Is there any certain time of day (That you've noticed) that it happens? Watch closely to see if you can locate a trigger...Maybe after she takes her medication? Mostly morning or night? Anything?

Is there a cough before the mucus starts? Is her nose running? My fear would be the Heartworms causing the Heart to have problems, thus congestion in the lungs that she's choking on....Maybe that's not possible, but it's the first thing that comes to mind.....

Has your Vet checked her lungs since this started? I'd call and ask if this is a possibility...

Let me know what you think......Karla

[LivingWithCrazyPeople]

The decision not to treat was after speaking in depth to her veterinarian and weighing the risks involved in treatment.  The vet recommended keeping her on preventative with Ivermectin to stop production of heartworms and shorten lifespan of adults... I pasted the info below as to not explain in a way to confuse since I am no vet...

Ivermectin Only

Melarsomine treatment is expensive and often out of reach for rescue groups, shelters, and many individuals. If the dog is stable (Class I), one option is to simply leave the dog on an ivermectin-based preventive. This option has led to a great deal of misconception about the ability of ivermectin to kill adult heartworms. Let us lay the rumors to rest now:

    * Ivermectin does not kill adult heartworms.
    * Ivermectin does shorten the lifespan of adult heartworms.
    * Ivermectin does sterilize adult heartworms.
    * Ivermectin does kill microfilaria (keeping the dog from being a source of contagion)
    * Ivermectin does kill L3 and L4 larvae (preventing new infections).

This means that if you opt to treat a heartworm positive dog with an ivermectin heartworm preventive only, you can expect the dog to remain heartworm positive for a good two years and the heartworm disease will be progressing during those two years. This is not good for the dog but certainly beats getting no treatment of any kind. This approach should only be considered for patients who are Class I and may be able to withstand two years of heartworm infection.

[Margot49]

Sorry to hear this. Who made the decision to just keep her on the preventitive? Your Vet?
I have never heard of this protocol being used for heartworm treatment.
Sorry, not sure why she would be throwing up mucus.  I think maybe you need to discuss this with your Vet.  Heartworm treatment should be closely monitored.