Dog Heartworm Test

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Tests Are The Only Way To Diagnose Heartworm Disease

Even though there are some symptoms that you may notice if your dog has heartworm, the only way to be sure is to have a dog heartworm test. There are several different methods of testing for heartworms, so you should make sure that you are getting regular tests.

The most common type of test is a blood test. Almost any veterinarian can do this. However, this test will only be successful in determining if your pet has heartworms if there are heartworm larvae present in your pet's blood. Therefore, this test is only going to be successful if two conditions are met. First, there need to be adult female heartworms present in your pet's body. Second, these heartworms must be sexually mature, which is not the case until about six months after the first infection.

X-rays are necessary to test cats for heartworms.

Heartworm blood tests are not always successful in cats. In fact, it is believed that dog heartworms will not reach sexual maturity in cats. Therefore, it is not likely that there will be heartworm larvae present in your cat's blood - so you should use another method of testing for heartworms.

X-ray testing is the most effective way to find heartworm infections in cats. Adult heartworms can grow to be more than a foot long - so they are very visible in x-rays.

Test your pets regularly.

Even if your cat or dog is taking regular heartworm preventative medication, you should make sure that you get regular tests. After all, no medication is going to be 100% effective at preventing heartworms - and it is important to catch any heartworm infections early.

You should also make sure that you get your dog or cat tested for adult heartworms before you start any preventative medication. The reason for this is that most preventative medications (like Sentinel or Interceptor) will not have an effect on the adult worms. However, it is not healthy to give your pet preventative heartworm medications at the same time that they are being treated for adult heartworms.

By using preventative medication, frequent vet visits and a yearly dog heartworm test, you should be able to keep your dog heartworm free, even if you live in areas that have mosquitoes year-round.

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