Heartworm Question?

Question

I was reading some other questions/answers on here, and people talked about having a heartworm test done on their dogs before being prescribed preventative. It got me thinking... and I dont think the vet ever gave my dog a heartworm test before giving me Heartguard for her. There was never any mention of the test, and from what I have seen online, the test is done by blood sample and the only time she had blood drawn was when they were seeing if she was ok to go under when she got spayed at 6 months.

I also read online that if heartworm infection is uncommon in your area, they often do not test for it. Is this true?

If not, how much does the test usually cost so I can have it done when I take her to the vet?

ADDED: brainscanner - answers like that is why you have to create new accounts on a regular basis ... unnecessarily rude

Answer 1

You don't need the test if your dog is under six months old when you start heartworm prevention. And even if your dog was over six months old, it's ok because she has been on prevention, so you know she is clear.

I live in the Mississippi River Valley, so heartworm is common. I am not sure about desert areas or even if the test is needed there. If you mosquitoes then you should use some brand of ivermectin to prevent heartworms. Heartguard is simply the most common form. A heartworm test runs $25 to $35. But if you dog is already on prevention and has been for a long time, you don't need a test.

Ivermectin works by killing the larvae before they reach the heart and grow into worms. If a dog already has fullgrown heartworms and gets the meds then the problem is that the dying worms will clog the heart and kill the dog. It takes at least 6mo for the egg to grow into a larvae then into a worm and infest the heart. That is why it is safe to give a puppy heartguard without a test. It is impossible for a puppy to have heartworms. They haven't had time to grow into adults and lodge in the heart. You need to use the drug all year round even in cold weather to kill all the larvae before they have a chance to hatch from eggs and grow into worms.

Answer 2

It is actually not unusual for a dog under 6 months old to not have a heartworm test done. My vet will not test under a year old. The reason for this, is it can take up to six or seven months of actual infestation of heartworms for a test to come back with a positive result. In a dog six months old, even if the dog did have heartworm, it probably couldn't be detected with a test. Ask your vet and he will tell you when you need to have your puppy tested.
Don't worry about the negative answers here, many people start out not knowing the details of heartworm.
I unfortunately found out about the gestation period of heartworm by losing a dog to heartworm. I have since made myself as expert as I can about this-I will never lose another dog to this disease.

Check out this website for more info: veterinarypartner.com

Answer 3

Normally if you start the heartworm prevention under six months of age, the vet does not do the blood test to check for them. Dogs are more prone to get heartworms after six months of age. Also, there is a six month incubation period before heartworms can show up in the blood work. For instance, I started my dog on Heartguard Plus at 9 months old, the vet did the blood work, and it came back negative, but I have to repeat the test in six months to check again, because he could have had them, and them not shown up in the first test. If they show up in the next test, the they were still in the incubation period at the time of the first test.

Answer 4

No need for a test unless the pup is over six months old.

The larvea cycle can not generate the heartworm in that short of a time. So if your dog was put on heartgaurd before or at 6 months it is fine without a test and a great vet!!! Most vets will go ahead and try to get it done for the charge. The snap test itself costs about $5 but I have seen vets charge $15 - $30 to get one done.

However; You did not need blood work for a 6 month old spay. He did take you there.

Answer 5

Heartworm medication is PREVENTIVE which means it is given BEFORE your dog is infested with heartworms. If you have mosquitoes in your area there is a high potential for your dog to have heartworms because that's how dogs get them.

The test is done to see if your dog already has them. If it is found that it does, then the treatment is intense including an overnight stay in the hospital, and it is expensive.

Call your vet's office and they will tell you the price of a heartworm test.

Answer 6

Puppies less than 6 months old are not usually tested. This is because it takes at least 6 months after being bitten by a mosquito and infected for evidence of adult worms (antigens or the presence of microfilaria) to show up in a blood test. The pup would have had to been bitten the day she was born in order to show up at 6 months. We start pups on hwprev at 8 weeks old, then test yearly as recommended by the American Heartworm Association (you can look them up). Even if hw's are uncommon in your area, the adult dog should be tested before beginning medication. This is to prevent serious, though not common, anaphylactic reaction when the microfilaria are exposed to the drug. Many vets in cold climates where there is freezing from fall to spring will not put their patients on preventative during these months, as there are no active mosquitos. This is changing and now even Northern vets are recommending year-round prevention. This is a good idea, as most preventatives deworm for intestinal parasites (potentially a human threat) and even fleas. At our hospital, we use the Idexx 4dx (the best in our book) and it test for 3 tick diseases as well. The cost is $32.00. Talk to your vet about this--I'm sure he/she's got plenty of info for you. :)

Answer 7

The cost will vary depending on where you live. Here in Southwest Florida, it is about $30 to have the test done but it is critical because HW is so prevalent here. And our dogs must be on preventative ALL YEAR. If you live in a colder climate where HW is not as common, then a vet might not automatically test, but a good vet should NEVER give Heartgard or any other HW preventative without first testing. That is dangerous and irresponsible. It is possible that when he drew her blood before her spay surgery, he could have tested for HW at that time. The test should be done at the very least once a year if your pet is on HW preventative.

Answer 8

My puppy is 6 mo. the vet did not test him and gave him the HW med. She said they are not at risk until they are over 6mo. If your puppy is under 6mo or close that is why the did not run a test. You must still do preventative meds with out the test. We are in MN and will only give him HW until May -Nov.

Answer 9

The first thing you should do is call your vet and ask them if they did the test. If they gave you meds without testing your dog then I'd find another vet. Because if your dog has heartworms and you're giving her heartguard, that will do nothing to fix the problem...if she has heartworms they have to treat it FIRST and then after it's cleared up THEN give her heartguard. If they tested her and it was negative then all is well. I'm not sure what the cost is...depends on the size of dog.

Answer 10

sure, notwithstanding it particularly is totally costly and extremely confusing on the canines. If a canines has a severe heartworm infestation it may pass away lasting well being subjects. additionally in very severe situations the canines isn't waiting to be taken care of and could might desire to be euthanised.