Even though heartworm preventives are widely discussed and recommended, there will come a time when the results of a heartworm test indicate that a dog is positive for the infection. The following offers tips for talking candidly with clients about the seriousness of heartworm disease. 

Start the Conversation About Heartworm Disease

Get to know your canine clients by communicating with them on the dangers their dog faces when infected with heartworm parasites. In an effort to avoid a diagnosis of heartworm infection, help clients recognize this severe health threat by educating them on the following:

• Life cycle of the heartworm parasite
• Spread of infection
• Heartworm is not zoonotic
• Risk factors for dog to become infected
• How the heartworm preventive works
• Why it is important for a pet to receive heartworm prevention year-round
• What happens when a preventive dose is late or missed altogether
• Why heartworm preventives require a veterinary prescription 
• Why it is better to prevent than to treat heartworm disease
• Recommended testing regimen
• Procedures for heartworm testing
• Why testing must continue even when a dog is on year-round preventives
• Symptoms of heartworm disease

When Test Indicates Positive for Heartworms

Once a dog tests positive for heartworm infection, the way you communicate with clients will need to take a different direction. Information still needs to be given, but now decisions need to be made. It is important to clearly explain the diagnostics and to make sure clients understand the procedures. It is also imperative to identify the risks. 

• Types of common methods to test for heartworm, for example:
  • Antigen test
    • Requires blood sample
    • Detects proteins released into the bloodstream by female adult heartworms
    • Able to detect infection of heartworms when they are over five months old
  • Microfilariae test
    • Requires blood sample
    • Detects microfilariae, the offspring of adult heartworm, in the bloodstream
    • Able to detect disease six to seven months after initial infection
• Confirming the positive diagnosis
  • Explain to clients that issuing a second test to validate the diagnosis of heartworm disease is necessary to complete because the treatment regimen is complex and expensive
• Classes of heartworm disease
  • As the classes increase, the symptoms become more obvious, and the disease becomes more difficult to treat
    • Class 1: No symptoms or only mild symptoms
      • Occasional cough
    • Class 2: Mild to moderate symptoms
      • Occasional cough
      • Tired following mild activity
      • Heart and lung changes may be seen on chest x-rays
    • Class 3: Symptoms include:
      • General loss of body condition
      • Persistent cough
      • Tired following mild activity
      • Breathing difficulty
      • Symptoms of heart failure may be indicated
      • Heart and lung changes usually seen on chest x-rays
    • Class 4: Caval Syndrome, occurs when blood flow to the heart is physically blocked by large numbers of heartworms, symptoms include:
      • Labored breathing
      • Pale gums
      • Dark, bloody, or coffee-colored urine
      • Surgery is risky and the animal may die; however, without immediate surgery to remove the blockage, the animal will die

Caring for an Animal with Heatworms

• Physical restrictions
  • Any increase in physical exertion will also increase the chance for the heartworms to further damage the dog’s heart and lungs
  • Normal physical activities must be restricted even if the dog is used to being active and looks physically fit
  • Clinical signs indicating the animal has a severe case of heartworm disease will reduce the level of physical activity even further
• Stabilizing treatment
  • Before the animal can receive treatment, they must be determined to be strong enough
  • Animals with severe cases of heartworm or with additional health issues will need to be assessed, and may require appropriate therapy
• Administering treatment
  • Completed once the dog is determined to be stable
  • There are different guidelines for treating animals with heartworm disease
  • Depending upon the method, the following should be explained in detail:
    • Treatment protocol should be explained step-by-step
    • Risks to animal should be addressed
    • Complications should be identified
    • Success rate should be discussed
• Testing that follows treatment
  • Six months after treatment, a test to confirm elimination of heartworm should be given
• Prevention
  • In order to avoid the chance for re-infection, heartworm prevention should be continued and administered year-round for the rest of the dog’s life.

Talk to your clients about heartworm disease so they understand all of the reasons behind why it is necessary to put their animal on year-round preventive treatments.

For more tips and information on types of heartworm preventives, contact your Covetrus representative at 855.724.3461

Sources:

https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm-basics

http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/animalhealthliteracy/ucm188470.htm