encouraging_angels Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) Is this unusual? He said she had no signs of heartworm just from physical behaviour I went against the vet advice much to his absolute shock as i previously heard that porheart injection had caused a number of deaths, but didn't disclose this as the reasons, i just said i like the bloodtest thank you., however was strange as the test was a little thing that displayed blue dots, 3 dots indicated heartworm, 1 dot didn't. However i thought heartworm took a little longer to diagnose then 10mintues? She was cleared of heartworm. Was I right to ignore the vet on this occassion? What are the other risk of the proheart injection? Edited June 3, 2010 by encouraging_angels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickojoy Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 7 years ago, I bought a dog from the pound, the local vet did the test and it was the same amount of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) I wouldn't touch the heartworm preventative injection. If you live in a cold climate you'd probably find you didn't need to give a preventative at all - especially now with the winter season upon us. The test is pretty quick. Edited June 3, 2010 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmurps Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I have seen them do it that way at the shelter. It used to be a blood test that took 2-3 days but that was years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rysup Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Sounds about right to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 The test the vet did is called a SNAP test and is a perfectly legitimate test. It's also ok to give the injection on a dog prior to testing. There is nothing wrong with what the vet did. It's the daily tablets that are dangerous to give without knowing if a dog has heartworm. But like others, I wouldn't give the injection myself and would stick to monthly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss B Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 (edited) The thing your vet used is a Snap Heartworm Test and yes they only take around 10 minutes. ETA: just saw Stormie posted the same thing above Edited June 3, 2010 by Miss B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 It's also ok to give the injection on a dog prior to testing. There is nothing wrong with what the vet did. It's the daily tablets that are dangerous to give without knowing if a dog has heartworm. I also thought a dog had to be tested before any heart worm medications if started over a certain age. Can you explain more fully why the injection is ok without testing but daily isn't ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 It's also ok to give the injection on a dog prior to testing. There is nothing wrong with what the vet did. It's the daily tablets that are dangerous to give without knowing if a dog has heartworm. I also thought a dog had to be tested before any heart worm medications if started over a certain age. Can you explain more fully why the injection is ok without testing but daily isn't ? I should have been a bit more specific, sorry. If the dog hasn't had any heartworm medication for more than about 2-3months, they still should be tested, but it takes about 6months for the stage of the heartworm that you can test for, to develop so you need to take that into consideration too. The drug used in the daily tabs, DEC, can react with the babies of the heartworm, which can kill the dog. This doesn't happen in the modern monthly/injection drugs, which work by just killing the larval stage of about 0-30days old, so if a dog does have a heartworm infestation, giving the injection or a monthly treatment will not harm the dog. But they should still be tested at some point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 If you live in a cold climate you'd probably find you didn't need to give a preventative at all - especially now with the winter season upon us.The test is pretty quick. Veterinary research has shown this not to be the case. I would NOT gamble with heartworm....I've seen what they do if a dog is infected. It's not nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 (edited) Veterinary research has shown this not to be the case. That's interesting, BD. My understanding (from reading) has been that for the heartworm larvae to develop to an infectious stage, it needs to develop inside a mosquito for 14 days while the outside temp is above 14 degrees Celsius. Apparently once the temp falls below 14 degrees, the development is aborted and has to start over. What Veterinary research has shown differently? Are you able to supply a link? Edited June 4, 2010 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 sorry, I don't have a link. I work In ECC and we are updated on studies as such. I will investigate this for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Just to add though, I live in the hills in outer eastern victoria and it gets pretty cold here in winter, but I still see the odd mosquito around and there are still days over 14 degrees in winter. I will definately find out who conducted this study for you, but personlly I still would NOT gamble with heartworm. Just my personal choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Veterinary research has shown this not to be the case. That's interesting, BD. My understanding (from reading) has been that for the heartworm larvae to develop to an infectious stage, it needs to develop inside a mosquito for 14 days while the outside temp is above 14 degrees Celsius. Apparently once the temp falls below 14 degrees, the development is aborted and has to start over. What Veterinary research has shown differently? Are you able to supply a link? This is what I believe as well. You can still live in a climate that has mosquitos, but it is the temperatures that is the key. It has to be over 14 degrees for more than 2 weeks, incuding overnight temps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 a little piece of one of the articles. Why Dogs Need Heartworm Preventative in Winter It is the belief of some that dogs can not get heartworm disease in winter due to the absence of mosquitoes in cold weather. However, it is recommended that heartworm preventive be given year round no matter where the dog lives because: •Even in colder climates, a single infected mosquito can survive in the warmth of a home. I'm not arguing your point that the larvae can not form under 14 degrees, But we have been told to inform clients that this is a HUGE gamble and we HAVE seen heartworm positives in Winter. We DO NOT make money on preventative medication as we are not a General Practice. Therefore this is not driven by financial gain by us. Like I said, I will ask who conducted the research for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tianakaesha Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 It's funny, my mum was telling me they don't need to do heartworm where they are, but they most definitely get hot there and have lots of mosquitoes. I'll pass on this information. I have always recommended to do the treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 I think they are just saying that the risk outweighs the benefit of stopping the treatment for one or maybe two months. It's a big gamble and we do see the infections in winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda1 Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Just to add, some mosquitos live exclusively indoors throughout the winter months. Clever little kritters.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 (edited) •Even in colder climates, a single infected mosquito can survive in the warmth of a home. The mosquito might survive, but it's whether the development of the heart worm can continue. And by all accounts, from what I've read, it is dependant upon 2 weeks straight to temps not below 14C. I'm not arguing your point that the larvae can not form under 14 degrees, But we have been told to inform clients that this is a HUGE gamble and we HAVE seen heartworm positives in Winter. Yeah - it's the balance between risk of infection from outside source and risk of detrimental health affect by the certainty of regular drug administration. As an aside, I was informed that heart worm medication is based on Cockroach Bate. Obviously a watered down and altered version, if that is at all correct. But still. It would be a necessary evil for those areas with climates that most suit heartworm larvae development. But it is something I'd rather avoid if I could and as I mentioned, all my readings have shown it to be temperature dependant. Like I said, I will ask who conducted the research for you. Thank you - I'd like to read that. Edited June 4, 2010 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WreckitWhippet Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 If you live in a cold climate you'd probably find you didn't need to give a preventative at all - especially now with the winter season upon us.The test is pretty quick. Veterinary research has shown this not to be the case. I would NOT gamble with heartworm....I've seen what they do if a dog is infected. It's not nice. Show me please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now