From the HP books I know that Horcruxes grant a form of immortality. So, it is not possible for someone who created a Horcrux to die from old age or succumb to diseases. I guess the same is true for living beings turned into a Horcrux. But do living Horcruxes age normally? Is it possible to cripple them or sever their limbs, head or something like that, or do they instantly "repair" themselves like inanimate Horcruxes?
Answer
Actually, I think that they are susceptible to disease, etc. Dumbledore mentioned in HP6 that using an animal that can think for itself as a horcrux is a bad idea. I doubt that he said this because it could make itself more vulnerable to attack by going out in the open. There are very few things that can destroy a Horcrux, so the reason behind this must be that a living horcrux is prone to be killed normally.
Besides, a horcrux is destroyed when the vessel is beyond magical repair. A dead snake is (probably) impossible to bring back to its original state, so the Horcrux dies the moment Nagini does. I guess crippling them is OK, as the magical world seems to be able to heal any physical injury except death. Dunno about mental injuries.
Also, Harry tells Neville to 'kill the snake' in HP7. He never mentions 'with basilisk venom/sword/Fiendfyre'. Ofcourse, Harry isn't the expert on these matters so he may have forgotten about it.
IIRC, Voldemort reinforced Nagini with his own spells, presumably to stop her from getting disease or dying early.
Of course, Neville kills Nagini with Griffindor's sword (impregnated with basilisk venom), so we'll never know the true answer.
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