Heartworm Testing ...Just because?

[CarolinaGirl]

[QUOTE=Bicoastal;5922283]
He hasn’t had a blood draw in a few years: when he did, we ran a full profile pre-op before he had a bump removed (not cancerous :yes:).[/QUOTE]

Not sure about their blood profiles, but our in house blood machines do not test for heartworms. Not sure I know of any who do. It is a completely different test, usually what’s called a snap test. So unless it’s part of their pre-op bloodwork or you approved it before hand your pet probably didn’t get tested then either. Other than that the only thing you could do in house would be a direct to see if you can see microfilaria in the blood using the microscope. But even if that’s negative it doesn’t mean the dog is negative.
It annoying sometimes but I grew up in the south so I can’t imagine not getting my dog tested regularly regardless of proper preventative given every month.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

The point of testing is so that if any heartworms made it to adulthood, for whatever reason, you need to know. Your dog is basically on the “slow kill” method at that point and carries the same risks as one going through treatment under supervision.

I picked up my foster dog after HW treatment today. She waited two months for an opening and had to be scheduled with another dog to split the meds when they became available. I almost couldn’t make the appointment and would have to forfeit her treatment if I’d cancelled! So, the meds are out there but they aren’t going to play around with it.

She had two doses of Heartgard in the meantime and I had to restrict her activity. Without any outward symptoms or the test, I wouldn’t have known that an extra long walk over hills on a warmer than usual day could kill her.

[MsM]

I usually take my dogs off the preventative in the winter. Wondering now what the benefit would be to testing before starting up again if the treatment other than the preventative is still not available. Would it change anything?

[Casey09]

MsM,
Yes, I think so. As CrazyGuineaPigLady said, if you did find that your dog was positive, you would want to know so that you would know if you needed to restrict his/her activity. I would think that would be the big thing. If the dog tested positive and the treatment wasn’t available, the vet might have you continue to give the preventative but put the dog on restricted activity - and if you didn’t know a dog was positive, you probably wouldn’t restrict activity.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

[QUOTE=MsM;5922757]
I usually take my dogs off the preventative in the winter. Wondering now what the benefit would be to testing before starting up again if the treatment other than the preventative is still not available. Would it change anything?[/QUOTE]

Well, the life cyle is something like 6 months to a year before HWs mature and start making babies, which is what the standard test is looking for. So, testing each spring (i.e.) is not going to show positive for a recent exposure.

The best thing to do is give preventative year round and have the test to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks. Much easier and cheaper than what I’m going through now!

[BLBGP]

How were you able to get heartworm preventative without testing your dog all these years?

[MsM]

Knowing to be able to restrict activity makes sense.
It is pretty common around here to take the dogs off the preventative 30 days after the first freeze. Very little chance of getting infected over our winters! So the testing would be to see if the preventative was effective over the previous bug season.

[Casey09]

Yes, I wouldn’t think there would be too many mosquitos hanging around in your winters! Incidence is probably much lower up where you are, as well.

[horsefaerie]

THis kind of thing chaps my butt.

First, I have had dogs for decades. Had them on preventative and NEVER, NEVER was asked to do a blood test to check for heartworms until just a few years ago. I would if I stopped treating over the winter. Can’t do that in the south.

$30??? TRY $125!!!

IF THE PREVENTATIVE WORKS, why is there any need for testing?

Also, ivermectin is losing its efficacy to prevent and treat worms in horses from overuse pushed by the companies who make it and vets who did so for reasons I do not understand.

What will we have to treat if the same is true for dogs? Or is it a patent issue?

I had a vet who threatened me with “I won’t write the scrip without the test”, she has been fired.

[Guin]

My vet does the quickie HW test once a year, but I suppose I could decline it. It’s not expensive (certainly not $30! as someone above was charged) and I figure it’s good to know. I buy HW preventative through PetsMegastore, so it has nothing to do with my vet selling me HW meds. Why are people saying they need an RX for it?

[AKB]

My daughter works at a clinic in Maryland. They are now encouraging yearly heartworm tests. They have had several dogs whose owners swear they aren’t forgetting doses, but the dogs are heartworm +. There must be some resistance to the preventative, or people are thinking they gave the meds but didn’t.

In our area, there is so much rabies that I would not hesitate to give rabies vaccine early. If you are late, and your dog has an exposure, the dog can end up in a prolonged quarantine at the shelter. My dog is due in the spring, and I plan to get rabies vaccine in a few weeks to be sure I don’t take a chance on being late.

[EquusArtist]

I do testing every two years and Lars is on preventative the March through November as our vet recommends. He’s a registered Therapy Dog through Therapy Dog International. TDI requires dogs in their program to be tested for heartworm and on preventative.

[Aikenites]

Here in the south, and in many areas, vets require yearly HW testing for 1) HW scripts 2) to find out if a dog is indeed +

HW preventatives are FDA regulated and require a prescription, which means the vets need to perform a HW test (usually a snap test).

Let’s hold the phone and not declare HW resistance, they don’t know exactly what is going on in some of the areas where HW disease seems to be increasing in #'s but they are testing and trying to understand what is happening.

A good reason to have your dog tested yearly for HW disease is to know if your dog is positive. If you give your dog HW prevantatives monthly, some companies will pay for treatment. Dogs can become HW positive with just 1 missed dose, even a day late. HW preventatives are misnamed, because they actually don’t “prevent” the HW disease but the prevent the disease from progressing into adults. They “treat” the emerging investation (if there is one) by reaching back and killing any microfilari that may have been injected from a mosquito before they can become adults.

Another good reason to have your dog tested for HW disease is that some HW preventatives, if given to a + dog, can actually kill a + dog because the rate of kill would be too much of a burden on the dog,

You know, vet’s aren’t out there to make a buck. they got into the profession because of their desire to help animals. They are your pet’s advocate. We question so many things, why question a vet who is trying to do what is best for your pet? Would you question a doctor who was wanting some tests for you?

[Marshfield]

I test mine mostly because it also check for some tick illnesses. I do keep mine on year round for a few reasons. It’s just easier for me, if I stopped in the winter then I’d forget to start in the spring. Intestinal parasite control. I’ve been bitten by a mosquito in February in Maine.

For those frustrated by being asked to test when you’re good about keeping your dogs on year round, please know you’re likely the minority for your vet. I’ve spent my small animal practice life in one of the areas with the best overall compliance. I cannot tell you how often people tell me their pet has been on continuous prevention and we cannot verify purchase of anywhere near enough doses of heartworm prevention for that to be true. And we keep copies of faxed prescriptions. One reason for increased interest in testing here is the increasing number of rescue dogs imported from outside the region. The most recent recommendations I’ve read for testing of these dogs is to test at transport, test again in six months, test again at 12 months and then annually thereafter. I did care for a Texas rescue dog who was negative at arrival and then loaded with heartworms when we retested at 6 months. Because he had arrived in late November his family didn’t put him on prevention.

[SquishTheBunny]

I think because it depends on the TYPE of preventive you are using.

Some, given to a HW+ dog will kill the adult worms so fast it will kill your dog. This is why we tell people to always wait for the results before starting HW.

Some of the newer preventives, do a slow kill - therefore safer for your dog if given HW+.

Unless you are 100% sure your dog got every pill or every topical,then there is a chance for HW. No drug is ever 100% effective,although HW studies are very close. Human error in pilling/applying topical is the #1 reason for failure.

Its a pretty cheap test - might just be worth peace of mind.

Also, for vaccines…I read a study that once the combo puppy vaccines are given, then after 1 year, the titres on most dogs remain high enough for life. Rabies (at least here) is to be given once every 3 years by law. The others are all optional (and given once every 3 years as well here), but any boarding facility, dog show etc. requires them.

[Beethoven]

[QUOTE=JB;5921724]
If a dog has been on preventive, and tests positive, what does that really mean? Obviously the prevention wasn’t fully effective, but neither is it hurting him. Do the heartworms at that point pose a risk, or, since the animal is on/will be on preventives, will that act as the “slow treatment” and fix him up anyway?[/QUOTE]

Yes, the slow inexpensive treatment is monthly ivermectin which is what most of the maintenance is. The ivermectin is only good at killing the babies which can’t infect you dog because they must move into mosquitos first. It is also good a killing the immature ones before they turn into adults, but it does not kill the adults. So if you missed a month or two that could of given them time to mature and get into the pulmonary artery. BTW its take 6 months after you get adults for them to show up as heartworm positive. Anyways adults live for about 2 years, so the ivermectin will prevent future generations from becoming adults while you wait for the current adults to die off. So during this time, you need to greatly reduce exercise so that the heartworms do the least amount of damage to the artery and heart as possible. The only way to kill the adults is the shots.

I just wrote a paper about heartworms this past week.:lol:

If you want to read about them here are a bunch of places to do so:

Some are written more for owners and some for vets, but all are easy to understand I think. Just depends on how much detailed info you want.

Hearworm Disease: Introduction- The Merk Veterinary Maunal
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/11300.htm&word=heartworms

Heartworm: The parasite
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=615

What Happens in the Heartworm Disease
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=591&SourceID=

Heartworm Treatment
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=610&SourceID=

Current Canine Guidelines
http://www.heartwormsociety.org/veterinary-resources/canine-guidelines.html

Canine Heartworm Disease
http://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/canine-heartworm.html

[HydroPHILE]

Phew! $125?! Our Vet charges $30 per dog for HW testing - blood drawn. I can’t believe some charge $125 + ?! It’s a simple blood test, for Heaven’s sakes. I believe our family Vet in NJ charged $40 for a HW test annually. I guess I can now understand why some of you are a little miffed at having to have a dog tested annually.

[Bacardi1]

For me, it’s not so much the blood test as it is the blood test + the cost of the preventative. That’s what brings it to well over $100 per dog x 3 dogs for me.

[Grataan]

[QUOTE=Guin;5923010]
My vet does the quickie HW test once a year, but I suppose I could decline it. It’s not expensive (certainly not $30! as someone above was charged) and I figure it’s good to know. I buy HW preventative through PetsMegastore, so it has nothing to do with my vet selling me HW meds. Why are people saying they need an RX for it? [/QUOTE]Because heartworm preventives are not OTC products, they are prescription drugs. If I were you, I would test my dogs ASAP as if you are receiving them without an Rx, then clearly your pharmacy is unethical and if they are dispensing them without Rxs then what else are they doing that’s unethical? Counterfeit drugs are a real problem.

[Guin]

@Grataan;5925645

Because heartworm preventives are not OTC products, they are prescription drugs. If I were you, I would test my dogs ASAP as if you are receiving them without an Rx, then clearly your pharmacy is unethical and if they are dispensing them without Rxs then what else are they doing that’s unethical? Counterfeit drugs are a real problem.

Read for comprehension, please. MY DOGS GET TESTED ONCE A YEAR AT THE VET’S. Pets Megastore is NOT “unethical.” They are in Australia, which does not require an RX for heartworm meds. Amazingly, I have used them for twelve years now and - GASP - my dogs have been NEGATIVE all that time. Horrors, those shady, unethical Australians, selling “counterfeit” dog products all over Australia. They must have killed tens of thousands of Australian pets by now. :rolleyes: