Need some straight answers about the heartworm test.

[Bridget]

I just had a rather confusing conversation with the receptionist at my vet's office. I called to make Loki an appointment for his annual heartworm test and she informed me that he had one in October (my husband took him in for something else I believe) and he is not "due" for another until October of this year. Now I have heard two different things: #1, that the heartworm test is given because if you give the Heartgard preventative when the dog already has heartworm, it is fatal, OR #2, that the preventative hides the symptoms of heartworm. So, either way, the test is connected to the preventative. We are in Iowa, so our dogs are not on the preventative from November through March. So what sense would it make to give the test in October?

To tell the truth, I question whether if a dog is on the preventative all the time during mosquito season, why they need the test at all? Are the vets just reluctant to give up the money they charge for the test every year? Or is the preventative not as good as we have been told? Or are we being punished by the pharmaceutical company for not having the dogs on it all year round?

Anybody have any answers?

[Sue]

I can't answer everything, but I do want to kill that fallacy of giving the dogs Heartgard with an infestation will kill them. It won't. In fact, it's often used as a first treatment in getting rid of them. Particularly when immiticide was scarce, it was found that using ivermectin would do a slow kill. Some vets will still go this way, if the infestation is relatively small.

Heartworm Prevention

On to your other question about checking for heartworm in October:

Is it possible he was being tested for tick borne diseases? The SNAP4 produced by IDEXX checks for Lyme, erlichiosis, heartworm and anaplasmosis. The four tests are not separated. To me, that's the only reasonable explanation for the check.

[Berna]

I do the test once a year, September/October, I just start with the preventative in May/June when mosquitoes appear. Depending on the weather, I usually stop the administration in October/November.

[Meeps83]

The rules my vet uses are if a dog is on year round preventative then they only need to be tested every other year. If a dog is not on year round preventative then they have to be tested before a new prescription will be given. Again, this is just my vet and yours may be different.

[BaconsMom]

We test every year, and do heartworm preventative year round as recommended by our vet.

[Annette47]

We test every year, and do heartworm preventative year round as recommended by our vet.

Same. The weather here is just too variable to be sure when the mosquitos will be out, although we do have few mosquito free months, it's hard to predict exactly when they will come and go. We used to get a separate test (years ago) but in recent years it's just been part of the SnapIV test.

In my understanding, to address the original post, the only way the test and the preventative are connected is because (like anything else in life) it is not 100%. Although it is incredibly rare to get heartworm while on the preventative (to the point where the manufacturer's will actually pay for the treatment with proof that the dog had been on it for the specified time prior to testing positive), it COULD happen, and you would want to know about it.

[Bridget]

Thanks everyone. What I am getting from the responses is that the preventative is NOT really connected to the heartworm test (which would mean it doesn't matter much when the test is administered). And that the test is given even though the dogs are on the preventative because it isn't fail-proof (even though it is pretty good). I believe my questions have been answered. Thanks again!

[fidgetyknees]

It is a prescription drug and my guess like human prescription drugs they retest every year. Good idea to be on it year round as there are worming meds in there as well ... though I did do the break this winter. Just paid my $230 something dollars for our 12 month supply .... and then the $200 for the tests and other vaccines I have just done for my 2 dogs. Vet loves us this month. Mmm, and we just bought 6 months of Frontline of Amazon, this is the story of my life every February, heavy duty dog bills.

[Berna]

We test every year, and do heartworm preventative year round as recommended by our vet.

You use a preventative year round in Minnesota? Seriously, why, I haven't seen a mosquito since November and we have milder winters than yours.

[shellbell]

I give preventative every month year round. To me it is not worth the risk of trying to count how many days of cold weather we had, and are mosquitoes out, etc. My holistic vet even recommends year round every month for where I live. And like anything, Heartguard is not 100% protection. I still test my dogs for HW every year.