Our recommendation is once a month, year 'round, permanently heartworm testing No medication is perfect and none of us have perfect memories. Dogs should be periodically retested. Although the official recommendation is once a year, we think this is excessive. In situations where pet owners feel confident that the medication is being given regularly, testing every two years is adequate. Although heartworms can be fatal and treatment for the disease involves risk, the condition is nearly always curable.
Treatment requires careful medical care and complete rest at home afterwards.
The first thing we will do is evaluate your dog's condition, performing a physical examination, laboratory tests and chest x-rays to evaluate the condition of the heart and lungs. We might find other health problems that need attention first, or if the heartworm infestation is very severe, we might want to use a different treatment schedule. Adult heartworms are about six inches long and live mostly inside the heart. Baby heartworms are microscopic and live within blood vessels throughout the body. Each stage must be treated separately.