Top 5 Tips for Interpreting Heartworm Test Results

Clin Brief. March 2022;20(2):. 9 Refs

Andrew R Moorhead¹, Cassan N Pulaski

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Author Abstract

Diagnosing heartworm infection in dogs and cats requires more than a patient-side antigen test. Discover one expert's approach to interpreting heartworm test results.

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Development of a dog owner caregiving style scale (Lincoln Owner Caregiving Questionnaire, LOCQ) and its relationship with behaviour problems in dogs
Compared to owners of dogs without behaviour problems, owners with high scores for the Disorganised caregiving style predicted dogs with separation related problems or with more than one behaviour problem, owners with high Avoidant caregiving style scores predicted dogs with Fear, and owners with high scores for both Disorganised and Avoidant caregiving styles predicted dogs with Aggressivity problems.

Retrospective cohort study on diseases and risk factors associated with death in hospitalized neonatal foals.
Most prevalent diseases were sepsis (43.9%), enteritis (14.0%), and omphalitis (9.0%). Case fatality rate was 33.3%. Neonatal sepsis significantly increased the risk of death.

Litter box size and litter type preference and their associated behavioral changes in cats.
Our findings indicated that cats preferred litter boxes measuring ≥50 cm as well as clumping clay litter. Moreover, a comfortable litter environment combining these two elements promoted normal urination behavior while improving house-soiling (both urination and defecation).

Prevalence of discospondylitis and association with congenital vertebral body malformations in English and French bulldogs.
The prevalence of discospondylitis was 3.4 (1.6-6.7) times higher in French bulldogs and 4.3 (1.7-9.8) times higher in English bulldogs, compared with the overall hospital cohort. One or more vertebral malformations were present in 12 French bulldogs (92.3%), 6 English bulldogs (75.0%), and 1 "other" breed dog (1.1%). Discospondylitis was diagnosed adjacent to congenital vertebral body malformations in 12 (80%) intervertebral discs in French bulldogs and 5 (50%) intervertebral discs in English bulldogs.

Resolution of egg binding is possible in most client-owned parrots when multiple treatment strategies are considered.
Of the 150 events that had complete follow-up, 109 (72.7%) resulted in a successful outcome. A successful outcome was observed in 44 of 133 events (33.1%) that were initially managed medically without resorting to additional treatment strategies, in 31 events (86.1%) managed with mechanical assistance, in 20 events (60.6%) managed surgically, and in 12 events (85.7%) managed with ovocentesis.