What does a heartworm blood test reveal about my dog's health?

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.

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. : )

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The microfilaria tests to see if there are larvae in the blood stream. It tells us if the dog is infectious and guides treatment. Usually we do the microfilaria test after the dog is positive on the heart worm antigen test which tests for the adult female worm that is already present in the pulmonary artery. Have a good day!

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!

Blood results always have to be interpreted with the results of a hands-on exam and medical history in mind. Numbers alone cannot give a diagnosis. Your veterinarian should have explained those results to you as he also did a clinical exam and knows why you went to the vet with your dog. That said I can give you a general idea: The lab was looking for blod parasites, but did not find any. This can mean that your dog is blood parasite free or just that in the sample they had, there were no parasites visible. This is not proof that your dog is parasite free, it just means they did not find any. The PCV is high, that means your dog is likely somewhat dehydrated. He also has too many neutrophils and too few lymphocytes which is most often a sign of infection. Your veterinarian should explain to you what he suspects your dog is suffering from. The blood parameters alone are just a small part of diagnosis and in your dog's case not very specific.

Unfortunately, videos cannot load onto the PetCoach platform, so I am unable to see Hershey's current behaviors. However, the only way to diagnose heartworm disease is through blood tests that determine if the antibodies or antigens (depending on the test) of adult heartworms are present. Nearly every vet is able to perform this blood test at the time of an appointment, so I strongly recommend taking Hershey to his vet if heartworm disease is suspected. Dogs with heartworm disease may experience coughing, exercise intolerance, weight loss, among other signs. Heartworm disease is a very serious condition, and is fatal if left untreated. This website has some great information for further reading: https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources . I hope that all goes well for Hershey!

The Vetco vaccine clinics which are scheduled periodically at many Petco locations do offer heartworm tests. Below is a link to pricing information: https://www.vetcoclinics.com/services-and-clinics/vaccination-packages-and-prices/