Will my vet wait for heartworm test results before giving Heartgard?

Question

As a future veterinary student, I’m a curious person. Scenario: An older dog with an unknown background visits the vet to get Heartgard. Blood is drawn to test for heartworms, but the results won’t be in until the next day. Will the vet sent Heartgard home for the dog? Or will the vet wait to see if the dog is Heartworm negative before prescribing Heartgard? I just didn’t know if the clients would be required to return the next day to pick up the Heartgard or not. Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | neutered | 25 lbs

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

The vet will give the dog a general exam. Normally we would use a snap test to determine if the dog was heart worm positive. Since your scenario prescribes that a result of the test is not available until the next day, the vet will not send heart worm medication home with the dog but tell the owner to call the next day for the result and if the test result is negative, pick up heart worm medication the next day. so yes the clients would be required to return the next day to pick up the Heartgard.

Will my vet wait for heartworm test results before giving Heartgard?

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