Heartworm Treatment: When the Perfect Protocol Isn't Followed with Dr. Andy Moorhead | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss what to do when treating heartworm disease in dogs, especially when the "perfect protocol" isn't followed. In an ideal world, no dogs would get heartworms - and if they DID get infected, they would be given the full course of treatment recommended by organizations like the American Heartworm Society - including a course of doxycycline and a heartworm preventive followed by a series of three melarsomine injections. In the real world, circumstances lead many dogs with heartworms to be treated with less-than-optimal protocols. The question for veterinarians is, what do they need to know about management of these patients when they are adopted and find their way to your exam room? To discuss this, we are joined today by Dr. Andy Moorhead, who is a veterinary parasitologist and an assistant professor on the faculty of the University of Georgia. He also serves on the board of directors for the American Heartworm Society.