Comments on: My vet told me I didn’t have to test for heartworms if I gave my dog the heartworm prevention medacine before-? http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm Pet Insurance | Find The Best Pet Health Insurance Plans And Vet Insurance. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:48:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: bamfan4evr2006 http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm/comment-page-1#comment-18186 bamfan4evr2006 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:24:55 +0000 http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm#comment-18186 Im such a paranoid person when it comes to this. I would personally get the dog tested anyway. Its harmless to pay the extra money to get the test. Ok im sure your vet knows what they are talking about, but in my opinion its not going to hurt the dog to get that one extra test. but if the vet said its fine then don't worry about it. I told you im just a paranoid person when it comes to my dogs lol. Im such a paranoid person when it comes to this. I would personally get the dog tested anyway. Its harmless to pay the extra money to get the test.

Ok im sure your vet knows what they are talking about, but in my opinion its not going to hurt the dog to get that one extra test.

but if the vet said its fine then don’t worry about it. I told you im just a paranoid person when it comes to my dogs lol.

]]> By: moondog http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm/comment-page-1#comment-18187 moondog Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:24:55 +0000 http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm#comment-18187 Your vet gave you the correct advice. Pups under 6 months of age don't need to be tested for heartworm before commencing a heartworm preventative. Over 6 months of age the need to be tested. Your vet gave you the correct advice. Pups under 6 months of age don’t need to be tested for heartworm before commencing a heartworm preventative. Over 6 months of age the need to be tested.

]]> By: Jen http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm/comment-page-1#comment-18188 Jen Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:24:55 +0000 http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm#comment-18188 Edited because I read the question wrong: Because of the life cycle of heartworms, no, the puppy would not need to be tested for heartworms if you start her on preventative before 6 months of age. Reason being, that it take the microflilaria 8 months to mature and turn into adult heartworms. So ... giving her the preventative cannot kill adult worms, because there won't be any there. The danger with preventative is that it kills off the adult worms and when the adults die, they can cause the dog problems. So ... the vet is correct. Edited because I read the question wrong:

Because of the life cycle of heartworms, no, the puppy would not need to be tested for heartworms if you start her on preventative before 6 months of age. Reason being, that it take the microflilaria 8 months to mature and turn into adult heartworms. So … giving her the preventative cannot kill adult worms, because there won’t be any there.

The danger with preventative is that it kills off the adult worms and when the adults die, they can cause the dog problems. So … the vet is correct.

]]> By: JamieLee http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm/comment-page-1#comment-18189 JamieLee Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:24:55 +0000 http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm#comment-18189 No testing needed under six months, but it is still recomended to test yearly (by our clinic anyway) due to the products only being 99% effective...if the pup is close to 6 months, it would be a good idea to have it tested...I lost my 4 year old black lab/mastiff mix to heartworns. I rescued him from a junkyard (if that tells you anything) and he tested positive, I tried treatment which was too much on his heart. I would rather be safe than sorry and test now as well as yearly, meds or no meds. Cause heartworm treatment is painful for them and hard to watch them go through! No testing needed under six months, but it is still recomended to test yearly (by our clinic anyway) due to the products only being 99% effective…if the pup is close to 6 months, it would be a good idea to have it tested…I lost my 4 year old black lab/mastiff mix to heartworns. I rescued him from a junkyard (if that tells you anything) and he tested positive, I tried treatment which was too much on his heart. I would rather be safe than sorry and test now as well as yearly, meds or no meds. Cause heartworm treatment is painful for them and hard to watch them go through!

]]> By: baxterville http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm/comment-page-1#comment-18190 baxterville Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:24:55 +0000 http://www.pet-healthinsurance.net/my-vet-told-me-i-didnt-have-to-test-for-heartworms-if-i-gave-my-dog-the-heartworm-prevention-medacine-before.htm#comment-18190 Your vet is correct. Just make sure he does the heartworm test when your dog is a year old and annually after that, since it's possible for a dog to get heartworms despite being on a preventative. And heartworms are like AIDS, in that there's an incubation period where the worms are there, but the dog can test negative because her body isn't yet producing enough antibodies to fight them. I adopted my pointer/lab mix from the Humane Society when she was 2 1/2, and she had tested negative just prior to her adoption. I immediately started her on Heart Guard and never missed a dose, so I was mystified when she tested positive a year later. The vet said it's not all that uncommon for dogs to test positive, despite the preventative, since not all dogs digest the chewables properly. And in my dog's case, she may have had heartworms when I adopted her, despite the negative test. But if you get your dog in for the annual test, she should be fine. And the company that makes Heart Guard paid for my dog's treatment, from which she recovered like a true champ. Your vet is correct. Just make sure he does the heartworm test when your dog is a year old and annually after that, since it’s possible for a dog to get heartworms despite being on a preventative. And heartworms are like AIDS, in that there’s an incubation period where the worms are there, but the dog can test negative because her body isn’t yet producing enough antibodies to fight them.

I adopted my pointer/lab mix from the Humane Society when she was 2 1/2, and she had tested negative just prior to her adoption. I immediately started her on Heart Guard and never missed a dose, so I was mystified when she tested positive a year later. The vet said it’s not all that uncommon for dogs to test positive, despite the preventative, since not all dogs digest the chewables properly. And in my dog’s case, she may have had heartworms when I adopted her, despite the negative test. But if you get your dog in for the annual test, she should be fine. And the company that makes Heart Guard paid for my dog’s treatment, from which she recovered like a true champ.

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