Is it necessary to get a heart worm test for your dog every year if he has been getting his pill every month?

Question

I got a notice from the vet. I assume they will do the heart worm test, which will cost money, and then sell us the heartworm medicine at a mark-up. I know I can get the same medicine at a discount elsewhere. I don't mind taking him in for the test, if it is necessary, but is it? He's never missed a dose since we had him tested originally, so could he still get heart worms?

Answer 1

It would be smarter to skip the monthly doses of chemicals and test twice a year. It is an assanine notion that our dogs need to live a life on pesticides, chemicals and toxins to stay healthy. It is backward thinking.
We do not have our dogs on monthly regimens of drugs to stay healthy. I test twice a year and if my dogs were to ever test positive the heartworm would be in early stages and the treatment would be easy on their system and safer then a lifetime of drugs that are likely not needed.
I have an 8 year old Dane who could have by now received 96 doses of chemicals/toxins to prevent something she never had an issue with in the first dam place.
You do not need to follow all the sheep off the cliff here. Learn about heartworm and stop being forced to make your dog live a life on drugs by pushy vets with scary jars of heartworms on their counters.
Here is an article on a realistic look at heartworms.
http://healthydogs.org/2005/12/heartworm_meds.html
So maybe its time to pull the dog off of year round chemicals and test twice a year instead. Makes common sense but for some reason people have been brainwashed into thinking we need to drug animals to keep them healthy.

Ivermectin has been proven to cause the following side effects: Vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, paralysis, jaundice and other liver problems, coughing, nose bleeds, high fevers, weakness, dizziness, nerve damage, bleeding disorders, loss of appetite, breathing difficulty, pneumonia, depression, lethargy, sudden aggressive behavior, skin eruptions, tremors, and sudden death. Though a minority of dogs experiences these reactions, they are seen in many breeds. Veterinarians also report that many dogs also get stomach and intestinal upsets, irritability, stiffness and just feel rotten for the first 2 weeks after each monthly dose of heart worm protection. An American Veterinary Association report on adverse drug reactions showed that 65% of all drug reactions reported and 48% percent of all reported deaths caused by drug reactions were from heart worm preventative medicine.

Keep in mind the stats at the bottom are from "reported" incidences and I believe that the reactions and deaths due to this drug are probably much higher. The reaction doesn’t have to be immediate either. A dog can be seemingly doing fine on heartgaurd or any other heart worm prevention containing Ivermectin (Ivomec) for months or years then all the sudden fall ill and neither the vet nor the owner would suspect the medicine. Just my honest opinion and with this knowledge I choose not to take the chances with my dogs health! There are better and safer ways to care for our dogs without drugging them on a regular basis and that only makes good sense!
We do not take drugs to prevent illnesses, we take vitamins and eat better foods to stay healthy but yet our animals are supposed to live on a monthly regimen of chemicals to stay healthy?? NO THANKS!

Answer 2

The companies which make the various heartworm preventatives only guarantee their products if the animal is tested yearly. It is possible for a dog to get heartworms even with preventative, although the chance is extremely low if the proper preventative is given every month. Most cases of heartworm in spite of monthly preventative occur because either the owner forgot to give the pill on time or the animal did not consume all the medication.
Thus, the vet must ask for that yearly test. You may be able to ask for a written prescription for the heartworm preventative so that you can buy it elsewhere. I'm not certain, however, but the I believe there is a catch...I think the various companies will only guarantee their products if the preventative is purchased directly from a vet. Check on that first.
Believe me, I know how expensive it can be...I have 3 dogs and 3 cats, each of whom take Interceptor monthly, all year round!

added: I must kindly disagree with 'Freedom', below. Heartworm is a deadly disease. The treatment for heartworm disease is risky as well. The 'poisons' that we put in our animals are very safe. They kill the microfilarae, or immature worms. They do not harm the dogs or cats that ingest the medication. It is true that certain breeds have a predilection for ivermectin sensitivity as well as to other drugs.. There are alternative drugs. For example, Interceptor is milbemycin oxime. We as humans do not take parasiticides because we (generally) cook our meat, wash our hands, and have proper toilet hygiene. Take a look at poorer nations. They are plagued by disease, much of which is spread by parasites such as mosquitos, because they do not have the proper facilities for hygiene, as well as having many other issues. However, even in developed nations such as the USA, we have such things as head lice...perhaps we should develop some sort of monthly preventative for humans to take! And I feed Innova, which is, in my opinion, a much healthier and better food for my animals. Feeding properly is a great way to keep your pets healthy. But it cannot prevent parasites.

Answer 3

my vet reccommends testing every few years.. but not every year.

Be careful where you order from.. if it comes from over seas, some places do not monitor how medications are handled, shipped or packaged.. some of them may sit on a dock out in the sun for several days, which can make the drug less effective. Some places also sell fake products.

I would trust someplace like 1-800 pet meds, and Drs Foster and smith. Dont bother with ebay, or any overseas company.


Honestly, your best bet is to get it direct from your vet. If you get Hartguard.. if your dog does come down with HW, and you can proove that you have been purchasing the hartguard thru your vet, Merial will pay for the treatment (which can cost around $600!)

Answer 4

Absolutely.

No drug is 100% effective. At 99%, one dog out of every 100 gets the heartworm even with the Heartguard.

Once a year testing is imparative to provide 100% protection from this Fatal if not treated problem.

One thing to keep in mind. If your dog does contract Heartworms and you are on the prevention product and it failed, the pharmacuetical company will reimburse you for the cost of treatment which can reach over $1,000.

With respect to the cost of the meds, I buy them online and save a fortune. I simply tell my vet that it works better for me; I'm not weathy. They typically don't push it.

I hope this helps.

Answer 5

if by chance the dog does get heart worms....even possible w/ preventative, it can do GREAT HARM to continue giving it.

It also depends on where you live.....some areas of the country experience more of a problem with it than others (climate, etc.) If you're in an area that doesn't have a lot of mosquitoes.....every year may not be necessary.

Maybe try contacting the maker of your preventative.

Answer 6

Check with your vet. I test every three years, OK'd by my vet since I keep the dogs on the medication year round. SOme will do testing ever other year, some will still make you test yearly. IF that is the case, you might want to switch to a more progressive vet. I see no need for testing yearly if you are careful with the prevention.

Answer 7

THe test is necessary. You don't want to give him preventative when he has heartworm and should be being treated for heartworm.. You can give preventative, but it's not 100% guarantee that your dog won't develop heartworm..

Answer 8

So why give medicine if the dog can still get infected? I think regular testing may be better.

Answer 9

I give my dogs heartworm preventatives monthly and test for heartworm annually

We had two dogs in our rescue (who were on heartworm preventatives monthly) that tested heartworm positive at their annual check ups.

As always, better safe than sorry -- and in the case of these two dogs, it saved us alot of heartache (because they were diagnosed in time) and money (because we were able to prove the dogs were tested and on heartworm preventatives, the manufacturer paid for the treatments)

Answer 10

That's a great question