Heart worms

[JulieM]

I still heard of a few isolated cases of dogs NOT getting continuous prevention and ending up with mild cases of HW come Spring (when most testing is done).

Keep in mind that it takes 6-7 months for the larvae to mature to a point where they can be detected by a heartworm test. A dog that tests positive for heartworms in April was infected in October at the latest (and probably earlier than that, if they're in Wisconsin). Chances are if the test had been run a couple of months earlier, the dog would have been positive at that time, as well, since peak heartworm months in that area are July-August.

Rescues, of course, are far more susceptible to heartworm because their immune systems are not operating at full capacity. It's a catch-22, really, because giving the heartworm meds will further suppress their immunity, but they may not be able to deal with heartworms as well as a healthy dog would.

 

[BayleyBones]

The test is a simple ($19 at my vet's office) blood test - the results are available quickly (same day here). When we found Bayley the first thing we did was take her for a checkup and heartworm test!

When I was younger our 6 year old Lab had heartworms, I remember her being tired and breathless. She went through the treament and went on to live another 10 years but it's definately a case of an ounce of prevention....