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.

Article Tools:

Email to me

Archives Highlights:

Clinical characterization of a novel episodic ataxia in young working Cocker Spaniels.
The mean age at clinical onset was 4 months. Signs were acute and included episodic body swaying, titubation, cerebellar ataxia, wide-base stance, and hypermetria, all while mentation remained unaltered. Duration of episodes ranged from 30 minutes up to 24 hours, and their frequency varied from weekly to once every 5 months.

A public health campaign to increase awareness of the risk of dog bites in South Australia.
Over one third (36-37%) of dog owners and 25-29% of non-dog owners had been previously bitten by a dog, although most did not require medical attention. Approximately 70% of dog owners believed it was safe for strangers to approach their dog, 34-37% allowed children or other people to pat their dog without permission, and less than half separated their dog from visitors or delivery people. In contrast, few of the non-dog owners allowed their children to pat a dog without the owner's permission and only 2% allowed them to play with dogs without supervision.

Owner survey suggests cats may be undertreated for pain compared to dogs after an elective ovariohysterectomy or orchiectomy.
Analgesics were prescribed for 19 of 162 (12%) pets: 14 of 88 (16%) dogs and 5 of 74 (6.7%) cats. There was no difference in the prescription of analgesics between dogs and cats after ovariohysterectomy or orchiectomy. 15 of 19 owners reported their compliance in administering analgesics at 78.9%. Owners' subjective assessments showed that 24 of 86 (28%) dogs and 12 of 68 (17%) cats appeared painful at home.

Challenges and Outlook of Veterinary Education in Iran: A Survey of Veterinary Students at Urmia University During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Regarding future employment, 45.8% of participants wanted to start their own business or practice, whereas 54.2% preferred employment opportunities. A significant 81.6% of participants said they would consider emigrating to pursue better career prospects.

Case series of maggot debridement therapy demonstrates safety and efficacy for treating problematic wounds in cats and dogs in Mexico.
Treatment was administered by applying 8-10 larvae per square cm surface area directly on the wound bed and covering the wound with a sterile polyester mesh, sutured to the skin. These were left on the wound for cycles of approximately 48 hours (24-72 hours); the cycles were repeated if more than 20% necrotic tissue remained after treatment. Review of these cases revealed that 80% of treated wounds achieved 100% debridement within 48-96 hours of treatment.