Diagnostic Dilemmas: Answer Common Questions about Heartworm Testing with Dr. Lindsay Starkey | VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

VETgirl Veterinary Continuing Education Podcasts

In today's VETgirl online veterinary CE podcast, we discuss diagnostic dilemmas about heartworm testing dogs and cats. What do we need to know about canine antigen testing, and are some heartworm antigen tests more sensitive than others? How common are false-positive results on in-house tests, and what do we need to know about false-negative results with heartworm testing? More importantly, what confirmation testing should I perform to confirm the diagnosis of heartworm disease? And cats? Since there's an issue with antigen testing in cats, what should we do when it comes to heartworm testing or diagnosing (or preventing) it in cats? To help sort this out, we're joined today by Dr. Lindsay Starkey, DVM, PhD, DACVM, a veterinary parasitologist and an assistant professor on the faculty of Auburn University. Dr. Starkey also serves on the board of directors for the American Heartworm Society.