This in-house test allows us to screen for heartworm and three tick-borne diseases at once!  Once a year we recommend this simple blood test before beginning your yearly heartworm prevention, as well as your topical flea and tick preventatives. If your dog tests positive for any of the tick borne diseases, and if it is caught early enough they can be treated with antibiotics to stop progression of the disease.

Heartworm: A disease passed by mosquitoes and no vaccine is available. Fatality occurs if left untreated. The treatment is expensive and highly involved. CVS recommends a yearly preventative in the form of a once a month, chewable tablet called Sentinol. Heartworms circulate through the bloodstream and fill the heart chambers, restricting blood flow. It is important to know, that if heartworm preventative is given to a positive dog that has not yet been tested, death may occur.

Ehrlichia: A tick borne disease that causes lethargy, depression, anorexia, weight loss, fever, spontaneous bleeding, respiratory distress, ataxia and head tilt. It can be treated with antibiotics

Lyme: A tick borne bacterial disease that causes arthritis, kidney damage, and even death. Other symptoms include: loss of appetite, fever, shifting lameness from one leg to another, and/or fatigue. It can be treated with antibiotics; however the damage is irreversible.

Anaplasmosis: Symptoms include: high fever, lethargy, swollen, painful joints, loss of appetite and reluctance to move. Painful joints can shift from leg to another. Other signs of infection include vomiting, diarrhea, and neurological signs.

Link to Geographic Distribution of Tick-Borne Disease and Heartworm
http://www.capcvet.org/tickmaps/index.html