It is recommended by most veterinarians and by the manufacturers of the Heartworm medications that each dog have a test prior to receiving the medications each year, to ensure that the pet is free from Heartworm disease. 11 июн. 2018 г.
Can I put my dog on heartworm medicine without testing?
If a heartworm-positive dog is not tested before starting a preventive, the dog will remain infected with adult heartworms until it gets sick enough to show symptoms. Heartworm preventives do not kill adult heartworms. Also, giving a heartworm preventive to a dog infected with adult heartworms may be harmful or deadly.
Can you give Heartgard without a heartworm test?
It's important to never give Heartgard to any pet that has not been tested for heartworm disease. Heartworm preventative medication such as Heartgard cannot kill adult heartworms, but instead kills the baby heartworms known as microfilariae.
Does my dog need a heartworm blood test?
In a word, yes. Heartworm testing is very important to the health of your dog. If your dog is heartworm positive and you put it on certain types of heartworm preventative, it could have detrimental effects, including death.
When should a heartworm test be done?
Any dog of any age can, and should, be tested annually. Since it takes 6 months for a pet to develop a positive response on a heartworm test, we recommend that annual testing begin no earlier than 6 months after the end of the heartworm season of the previous year which is usually considered to be October 15th.
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