aftermath of heartworm treatment

My dog was diagnosed with heartworms in October '09. I started him treatment the following November. January 13, 2010, he completed his treatment as well as his 8 weeks of confinement, and is taking heartworm preventative.
   
First off I would like to know who here has had to put their dog through heartworm treatment, and what was your dog's health like after? How long did it take your dog to completely recover? The reason I ask is it has been about 2 weeks since completing his treatment, and Boomer is still coughing and sick. I took him to the vet on the 22nd because he felt like he had a slight fever and mucous in his stool. His fever was up (102.5), but the vet said it wasn't bad enough to be concerned about. She diagnosed him with kennel cough, and prescribed him Termaril-P tablets (a steroid) to help with the inflammation in his lungs. She also prescribed him Metronidazole in case he had a bacterial infection inside of him causing the diarreah and fever. And lastly, in case his little butt started hurting from the diarreah, she prescribed him Simplicef, which is used to treat skin infections.
   
It is now 10 days since the vet visit. He is still coughing and shaking. In the last 48 hours he has eaten MAYBE 20 pieces of kibble, and most of that was out of my hand. He refused to eat any more than that. He was getting so weak, so I boiled some ground meat and brown rice, and he ate it up. I'm guessing he just doesn't like his dog food (Nutra mini chunks).
   
My main worry is pulmonary embolism. The coughing scares me. It seems like he only coughs when he gets active/runs/jumps. I need to know if this is normal or not. Normal not for any dog in general, but for a dog who has recently undergone heartworm treatment.
   
I just need some peace of mind. He seems to be feeling much better since eating the ground beef and rice (rolling around on his back, running with his tail wagging). I'm watching him very carefully, and I know to bring him to the vet so please don't tell me to. I just would like to read other peoples' and dogs' experiences with heartworm treatment.
   
Thank you and sorry this was so long. =]

When a dog coughs upon exertion it is usually due to heart problems. Heartworms is definitely classified as a heart problem. His heart has been damaged by the worms most likely and some dogs never make a full recovery. Your vet should take an xray to see what his heart looks like - they should be able to tell if he has congestive heart failure by looking at the xray and listening to his chest. There are good medications for dogs with CHF, and they can help a dog to live a long while with the disease. IMO your dog's coughing is probably not related to his lungs at all.
   

Thank you for your reply. I never stopped to think about damage to the heart. When the vet diagnosed him with heartworms in her own words he said "luckily we caught it before it could do damage to his organs.". So I'm hoping damage to his heart is not the case. He goes back to the vet on the 15th for a retest, and I may ask them to do an xray if his coughing has not stopped (he is currently taking some more antibiotics for 'kennel cough').