[Help] Anyone have a dog survive Stage 3 Heartworm treatment?

Hey all. We just adopted our second dog. This time from our shelter.He is a 7 year old MinPin. Found as a stray. He was adopted out as hospice because he has Stage 3 heartworms. Meaning it's affecting his breathing and his heart is enlarged. He is not in heart failure yet, thankfully. And his lungs are currently clear.The shelter said he most likely will not survive treatment and if he does, then he won't live past a year due to his heart.We took him to our vet today who said there is a decent chance for him to survive treatment. And told us not to treat him as if he's dying. Just go real easy on his lungs but let him walk and occasionally play (until treatment begins).So the shelter has him on an antibiotic for a month (2 more weeks) before they want to start the treatment. Just to dissuade any other infections.They said they don't want to start steroids because those can cause other issues. But our vet recommended we start immediately to relieve the swelling so he can breathe better.It is day 3 with Jack and he has all ready weaved his way deep into my husband and mine hearts. We knew he would pass soon. But now we think he may have a chance.So...anyone have experience with this stage? Our first dog was stage 1. No signs, no harm. Young and healthy. No problems. So this is new territory.Thank you. via /r/dogs http://ift.tt/2sehY82