Is there a "new" test for heartworms?

Our dog Barney had heartworms and we were told to give Heartgard to get rid of them.  He had a test in June that showed negative.  Now I've been told that the test was the "old" test that only tested for "female heartworms" ...not "male heartworms.  So I don't know what to think.  I hate to get him retested if the test in June is reliable. I have an appt with a different vet tomorrow.

[Misfits4Me]

Linda....We have our HW positive dogs rechecked TWICE after treatment.....Once, after treatment then another test 6mos. later...That said, I personally would have Barney checked again since it's been 6 mos. It's a simple test & worth the peace of mind IMO.

The Hacking cough may be something unrelated to HW disease, but you need to rule HW out first......Your new Vet needs to check his lungs for congestion......Make sure you inquire about what his lungs sound like...Put them on the spot! Has anyone done an xray of the heart to look for enlargement?

Let me know what happens...

The Enalapril is a wonderful heart medication.....Did Barney get any better while taking it & if he took it long enough?   Karla

[Misfits4Me]

Linda, I don't know if I believe this, either.....Although I have many rescue dogs tested on a regular basis (Even with 3 different Vets), no one has questioned or brought up anything about a new or old test....Sounds suspicious to me, but who knows?   Please, let us know what you find out & good luck!  Karla

[LindaTX]

Thank you so much for writing back.  I only want the best for Barney and the situation he is in.  I had posted last week on this forum about Enuprinil(sp).  We live in a rural area with only a couple of vets in a 30 mi. radius. One is who said they did the "old" test in June, and the other vet is the one we've used for yrs for cattle, donkey, dogs and cats and he prescribed the Enupril.  Barney is suffering from a really bad hacking cough.

[Misfits4Me]

Linda....We have our HW positive dogs rechecked TWICE after treatment.....Once, after treatment then another test 6mos. later...That said, I personally would have Barney checked again since it's been 6 mos. It's a simple test & worth the peace of mind IMO.

The Hacking cough may be something unrelated to HW disease, but you need to rule HW out first......Your new Vet needs to check his lungs for congestion......Make sure you inquire about what his lungs sound like...Put them on the spot! Has anyone done an xray of the heart to look for enlargement?

Let me know what happens...

The Enalapril is a wonderful heart medication.....Did Barney get any better while taking it & if he took it long enough?   Karla

[aheart]

Aw, I'm sorry for Barney of course but I'd go to a "new test" vet and ask about it. See what those lungs sound like, he doing alot of panting at rest too? He did not have this cough when you resued him right? I know you will find the best answers for Barney and I love people like you that take the time and spend the $ required to put the dogs on the road to successful
adoption! Or were you going to keep him? Good Luck and let us know,

Thank you for being you Linda!! Haha I think that Rusty is allergic to corn and I'm thinking gluten? I need to get him in too! I won't have the money until Feb. But we have had some success with lamb and rice. What do your
allergic dogs eat??? Take care♥

[LindaTX]

We took Barney to new Vet yesterday, left him a few hrs for lots of tests.  Good news is he tested negative for heartworms!  Bad news is....he has tachycardia, dilative? cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart with fluid in lungs) and congestive heart failure.  We are to give him twice daily Enalapril 10mg, Diltiazem HCR 30mg 3x a day, Lasix 40mg. 2x a day and Vetmedin 5mg 2x a day.  Ugh...that's a lot of meds!  But Barney is only 11 and if all this works, the Vet thinks he may have a few yrs left.

Aheart, the "new test" Vet didn't know what the "new test" was and did the SNAP 4 way test.  He did EKG which was transmitted to Petmed Cardiologist,  Chest xray, blood work (which looked good) kidney function good. Barney was not a rescue  but my husband found him in an old barn on our property when he was about 2 days old. After a day the mother had not come back for him so my husband went and got him and the rest is history. So I guess he really was a rescue. We have Barney and 2 Great Pyrenees and none of them are allergic, aheart.

[LindaTX]

Took Barney back to the vet and he is doing much better....will have to go back in a month for another ECG.  We are happy with the progress he is making..no fluid in lungs and coughing has subsided...just wanted to share the news!

[Misfits4Me]

Great News!!!! Thanks for sharing, Linda......Merry Christmas to you & Barney........Karla

P.S. I had a dog with CHF....He made it 3 more years using medications.....Thought you should know.....  ;)

[LindaTX]

Thanks, Karla...that sounds pretty good...he turned 11 in Oct.  Time flies!  You think they're gonna be around forever, but unfortunately they won't be. I just want him to have a good quality of life with what time he has left.  A very Merry Christmas to you and all your family, canine and otherwise!