Willem Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 (edited) Do vets have an obligation to test for heartworm on new customers dogs. I.e blood test Before giving heartworm preventive. My dog fell ill over the weekend and is in a bad way. X-rayed Sunday showed enlarged right heart and water on lungs. So 50/50 chance Currently been given meds to help him and just trying to find info on this. The dog is from north qld and I have just far south. Unfortuanly I hadn't researched heartworm until now. Was giving the dog preventative but was two years old when I got him. Now his 6.5 years to my knowledge the testing should be done before administering any anti heartworm drug because if the dog would already be heartworm infested, the drug may kill him: the drug kills the worms and the dead worms in the body will cause implications (heart, lunge) and finally the dog's death. Hence if you administered anti heartworm drugs for 4.5 years without side effects IMO it is unlikely that your dog has heartworms....but I'm not a vet and there are always exceptions. ETA: ...if you don't know the dog's medical history, the testing is of course also required to ensure that the dog is heartworm free as a positive test result (=dog has heartworms) would require immediate treatment. Some dogs might survive without treatment if it is only 1 worm, but I guess there would always be side effects (low energy level, no endurance etc.). Edited January 11, 2016 by Willem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottsmum Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Do vets have an obligation to test for heartworm on new customers dogs. I.e blood test Before giving heartworm preventive. My dog fell ill over the weekend and is in a bad way. X-rayed Sunday showed enlarged right heart and water on lungs. So 50/50 chance Currently been given meds to help him and just trying to find info on this. The dog is from north qld and I have just far south. Unfortuanly I hadn't researched heartworm until now. Was giving the dog preventative but was two years old when I got him. Now his 6.5 years My previous vet wouldn't treat without the owner being sure the dog had been tested - if there was an ounce of doubt she'd recommend testing. But I think she was one in a million. Has the treating vet confirmed it's heartworm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjosa Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 When the injection for heart worm came onto the market l had one of my girls immunised with the injection, would never use that method again, she got the biggest lump on the back of her neck and was off colour for several days, the lump took at least three weeks to disappear, I advise all of my puppy buyers to never use it, use Heartguard, just put the chews as a treat and all my kids line up for it with great glee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerMax Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Jared82 Enlarged right side of the heart sounds like cardiomyopathy which is usually caused by the body's reaction to a virus. The enlargement causes scar tissue in the heart which makes the heart floppier and weaker. The fluid on the lungs is the result of the weaker than normal heart. If you have been giving him heartworm meds for over 4 years, it is very unlikely to be heartworm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 If you've been treating for heartworm I doubt that the dog is infected. I wouldn't expect a vet to test first unless the history of the dog was unknown or it was known that it had not been treated previously for heartworm. I hope your dog recovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 When the injection for heart worm came onto the market l had one of my girls immunised with the injection, would never use that method again, she got the biggest lump on the back of her neck and was off colour for several days, the lump took at least three weeks to disappear, I advise all of my puppy buyers to never use it, use Heartguard, just put the chews as a treat and all my kids line up for it with great glee. the injection is not an 'immunisation', like the needles for parvo etc :) It is an injection of a chemical which kills heartworm larvae before they can grow and migrate to the dog's heart ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willem Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 the test for heartworm is a simple snaptest...(they sell them even on Ebay)...it is easily done and requires only a few drops of blood (blood should be taken by a qualified person so) and gets immediate results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ggardiner Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I tragically lost my dog yesterday after a reaction after being given his yearly vaccinations and a heart worm needle We are all in shock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I tragically lost my dog yesterday after a reaction after being given his yearly vaccinations and a heart worm needle We are all in shock in case you didn't find this in your reading .... it's from this thread .. CLICK HERE Apologies in advance - this is probably not what you want to read - but it will help explain things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Kisses Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I tragically lost my dog yesterday after a reaction after being given his yearly vaccinations and a heart worm needle We are all in shock I am so sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappi&Monty Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I tragically lost my dog yesterday after a reaction after being given his yearly vaccinations and a heart worm needle We are all in shock That's awful! Sending hugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I tragically lost my dog yesterday after a reaction after being given his yearly vaccinations and a heart worm needle We are all in shock I am so sorry to hear about your boy. Unfortunately sometimes dogs will just have horrible reactions to things even if they've been fine in the past. My thoughts are with you during this so sad a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 We no longer heartworm,the risk in our area is low compared to the risks given it. We use to always heartworm but over the years the products keep changing and more issues seem to be cropping up. In our puppy paper work we do not recommend the yearly needle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koalathebear Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) I'm in the minority I know. Our 3 Kelpies have all been on the annual Proheart for the last 6 years and are fine and healthy. Our foster dogs mostly tend to be on it, too post adoption with a few variances. We do prefer it for convenience factors but did talk about it with our vet who we trust and has looked after all our dogs and foster dogs through the years. We're comfortable it's the right choice for our dogs, although appreciate that other people choose other options. Edited January 9, 2017 by koalathebear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr.mister Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I'm sure I've posted in this thread before but I lost my heart dog due to an adverse reaction to pro heart. It was awful, I would never wish that kind of death on anyone and I will never risk one of my animals again. I am so sorry for your loss ggardiner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I just use 1% Ivermectin at around 0.1 cc / 10 kg once a month. That's more than is in HeartGuard tablets, but entirely safe for dogs that aren't MDR1 positive. Treatments for mange commonly use doses that are a hundred times more. It's cheaper than chips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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