Going to speak to my vet about this alternative. Might not be too costly since I don’t have mosquitos year round.
DNA Heartworm Testing: An Alternative
Before giving your dog any kind of heartworm drugs, you can do DNA testing to see if there are any microfilariae in his system. This testing is different from the regular test your vet will do to find adult heartworms. It’s based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technology and it’s not only very accurate, it also tests for heartworm larvae (the regular test only tests for adult heartworms). This means you can find (and then treat) any larvae before they become a real problem!
Heartworm DNA testing is available from HealthGene, a company that offers all kinds of DNA testing. Simply tell your vet to send your dog’s blood sample to HealthGene and the company will send back the results. Find them online here. If your dog tests positive, there are several natural, holistic options to treat the heartworm. If he tests negative, you’re good.
[Related] 5 Natural Heartworm Treatment Alternatives. Find them here.
How often do you need to test? Remember how I told you to keep that important number in mind? Here’s why it matters. Since it takes at least 5 ½ months for larvae to grow into adult heartworms, testing every 4 months will allow you to find those larvae before that happens and get rid of them. This means those adult heartworms, the ones that cause the problems, will never have a chance to fully develop. And testing every 4 months is only necessary in those areas where heartworms are a problem more than 8 months of the year. In those areas where the season lasts only 4 months, you really only need to test once a year, at the end of the season.
