What is the microfilaria test for dogs? Is it for heartworm?

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. We usually do a test where the antigen to heartworms can be quantified using a very small amount of blood. There are many companies that make these tests & they usually are less than $40 to run. The test only takes 10 minutes & shows either positive or negative. If a dog has a significant number of heartworms, sometimes you can see them directly in a drop of blood under a microscope. If the test comes back positive, depending on the overall health of your pet, we start therapy first with a round of the antibiotic Doxycycline, then we use a form of medical grade arsenic, injected into a muscle, either 2 or 3 times over a short course of time. This will kill any adult heartworm that are in the heart & in the vasculature in the lungs. It sounds pretty intense, but most dogs come through very, very nicely. I hope this helps. Take care.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If your Vet was only testing for heartworm then that was likely the only thing ran. General blood work usually is a CBC and a chemistry. I think it is best to call your Vet in the am and ask if any other blood work was sent out with the heartworm test. You could also look at your invoice.

Yes. Testing for heartworms is simple with a blood sample taken by your vet. We do a screening snap test that gives results in 8-10 mins. I hope this helps and thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Take care. : )

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I’m so glad Carson has a new wonderful owner! You 100% need to run the test. A dog can look completely healthy and have a serious heartworm infestation that is slowly damaging the heart and major vessels. There is a very specific way of testing and treating heatworms that can be adjusted based on if there are microfilaria (baby heart worms in the blood stream) or not which is likely what they will be testing. If it is the other common test we run, you should do it because if it comes up negative, you may not need further treatment! In many cases I feel that extra testing may not be needed or may not change how I treat a problem. But heartworm disease is not one of them. Follow the protocol to the letter as best you can for the highest likelihood of success. Best of luck to you and Carson!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Intestinal parasites can be ruled out quickly with a fecal test. Once your vet determines the type of parasite, they can recommend the appropriate dewormer. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any questions you have!

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor Midnight Yes, heartworm disease is serious. Dogs get heartworm from being bitten by an infected mosquito. The mosquito injects microfilaria (baby heartworm) in to the skin when they bite the dog. It can then take 6 months to travel from the skin to the pulmonary artery. If they get a lot of heartworm they back up in to the heart (Caval syndrome). That is very serious because the adult worms have to be extracted from the heart via the jugular vein. Your other dogs can not get it from Midnight, only from a mosquito. You should have all your dogs tested then started on heartworm prevention. The gold standard of treatment is injectable adulticide as 3 injections. One is given then the other 2 a month later 24 hours apart. During treatment and 2 months after the 3rd injection the dog has to be strictly cage rested. The major risk of treating and HAVING heart worm is sudden death from clots to the lungs. Talk to your Vet about treatment options. I wish you the best!

Yes, it would show up even if on prevention. The test is only checking for the presence of the adult heartworms in the heart. It takes approximately 6 months from the time the dog is bitten by a positive mosquito to the time they would show up positive on a test. I suggest you not wait and get a confirmatory test now. If Shiloh truly is heartworm positive you should have him treated. The prevention is only going to keep him from getting more worms. It does nothing for treatment. Hope this helps. Best wishes.