Why test for heartworms if my dog has been on heartworm prevention medication?
Hi. This question is from Susan from New Orleans. The question is: “If I’ve been giving heartworm prevention for the past year to my dog, why do I have to do a heartworm test before I can buy more prevention?”
Dogs must be heartworm-negative before taking heartworm prevention medication
The answer from the FDA, who licenses the drugs, is that a veterinarian must confirm that the dog is heartworm-negative before the dog can have heartworm prevention. And while I believe that my client had been giving the heartworm prevention, I can’t, unless I was giving the heartworm prevention, certify that the dog is likely negative unless I do the heartworm test. So the FDA is saying to the doctor, “You must only prescribe this medication to a heartworm-negative dog.” The only way I can ensure it is a heartworm-negative dog is by doing the heartworm test.
Thank you very much.