Heartworm is very common in dogs, especially depending on the part of the country that you're in.

Heartworms are not normally visible unless they are not inside the heart. It's rare, but occasionally they can migrate to other organs, including the skin, and in these cases, you might see them crawling through there.

Heartworm is not necessarily painful for dogs, but it is uncomfortable. This discomfort is primarily due to the inflammation it causes in the heart and the lungs.

The possible signs that your dog has heartworm disease include coughing, exercise intolerance, lethargy, and weight loss.

It takes up to six months for the heartworms to fully develop into adults. Therefore, you're not likely to notice any signs until then. The symptoms also depend on the worm burden that the dog carries.

Yes, it's crucial to continue with the yearly heartworm test even if your dog is on prevention. This is because some heartworms are resistant to certain medications, and we need to ensure any potential infestation is dealt with promptly.

Yes, additional testing may be recommended in case of positive results, as there can be some false positives. To confirm the diagnosis, we usually send an extra sample to the lab.

We advise testing your dog for heartworm disease once a year to ensure everything is working correctly.

We recommend testing your dog for heartworms as soon as you foster or adopt them. However, if they're puppies, we usually don't test them until they're at least a year of age.