Why Do Veterinarians Recommend that Dogs Receiving Heartworm Preventive Medication be Tested Yearly for Heartworms?
Yearly tests for heartworms are endorsed by the American Heartworm Association and yearly testing is considered the “gold standard” of heartworm control. Thus, yearly tests are recommended by most veterinarians. • Some veterinarians actually require that heartworm testing be performed before dispensing or prescribing additional heartworm preventive to the dog if the dog has not been tested within the past year. • Other veterinarians are content simply to make the recommendation of an annual heartworm test to the dog’s owner and let the owner make the decision regarding testing for heartworms. These recommendations for yearly heartworm testing are based on the fact that heartworm infection can cause serious damage to a dog’s heart and can do so in a fairly short period of time. document.getElementById(‘adsense_placeholder_2’).innerHTML = document.getElementById(‘adsense_ad_2_hidden’).innerHTML; • Even though currently available heartworm preventive medications are very effective, there
