How to Diagnose Heartworm Disease in Cats
Note if your cat has a poor appetite and experiences significant weight loss., Check if your cat has difficulties breathing and a cough., Notice if your cat vomits or has diarrhea., Take your cat to the vet if she has fainting spells or collapses...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Note if your cat has a poor appetite and experiences significant weight loss.
Though some cats infected with heartworm have few or no symptoms, you may notice non-specific symptoms in your cat, like a poor appetite.
Your cat may eat little to nothing for several days to a week and loss a significant amount of weight.One less common sign of heartworm is a pot-belly appearance in your cat, even if she has not eaten in some time.
This is due to a buildup of fluid called chyle, which can gather in your cat’s chest and abdominal area. -
Step 2: Check if your cat has difficulties breathing and a cough.
Your cat may also display symptoms that are related to lung and breathing issues.
She may have rapid breathing and coughing.
She may also appear to have a hard time breathing in and out.
Your cat’s breathing issues may make it difficult for her to move around so she may appear lethargic or lacking in energy. , These symptoms are due to issues in her gastrointestinal tract as a result of the heartworm.
You should take your cat to the vet right away if she displays these symptoms, as they usually indicate a serious medical issue. , Your cat may experience neurological issues like a lack of coordination, seizures, or fainting episodes.
You should take your cat to the vet right away if she collapses or has a fainting spell.
This could be the result of a heart murmur in your cat’s heart due to the heartworm., It can be difficult to make a positive diagnosis of heartworm in cats, as cats tend to harbor very few worms.
The vet may try several tests to determine if there is worms in your cat, including an antigen test.This test will help your vet to detect any female worms in your cat.
The vet will look at a sample of your cat’s blood and look for the traces of the antigens produced by female worms.
However, this test is not fool-proof and requires time to reach a confirmed diagnosis.
It can take five to eight months for a female worm to mature and trigger the antigen test.
As well, cats with worms can actually create a false negative result on an antigen test. , This is another blood test that looks at the amount of defensive antibodies produced in your cat’s body as a way to fight off the heartworm infection.
This test can show a positive result within two months of the development of the infection, a quicker result than an antigen test.However, antibody tests are also prone to false negatives.
In one study, 50% of cats tested with antibody tests turned up negative for heartworm infection, though they in fact did have heartworm.
Antibody tests will also only tell your vet that heartworm has been present in your cat and your cat’s body produced antibodies against it.
But it does not confirm if the infection is active or dangerous to your cat. , An echocardiography, also called an echo test or a heart ultrasound, will take moving images of your cat’s heart.This test will help you vet to get a positive visual of the worms in your cat’s heart and is considered the most useful way to confirm a diagnosis of heartworms in your cat.An echocardiography is painless and will have no side effects on your cat.
It can be done in your vet’s office or by a trained echocardiographist in another facility and usually takes no more than one hour.
Your cat’s heart movements will be shown on a screen and video and images will be taken of your cat’s heart to confirm the presence of heartworms.The cost for an echocardiography for cats can range from $200-$400.
Talk to your vet about the cost and be sure you can afford an echocardiography before you give your vet the go ahead to do one., The X-ray will help the vet look for pathological changes in your cat’s lungs due to the heartworm.
If there are changes present, this can indicate a disease is present.
But it cannot tell the vet definitively if your cat has heartworm or another condition, such as asthma.
Your vet may also do other tests to rule out other breathing issues or disorders until the only possibility is heartworm., Currently, there is no approved drug for the treatment of heartworms in cats.
Some vets may prescribe a drug used to treat dogs with heartworm but it can cause significant side effects in your cat, including lung failure and possibly death.
Another option is to treat the symptoms of heartworm in your cat in the hopes that your cat will outlive the infection.As heartworms can live in your cat for two to three years before they become serious, your cat may need several months worth of treatment.
The vet may prescribe oxygen treatment and drugs such as corticosteroids and diuretics that you can give your cat when she is experiencing symptoms due to the heartworms.
She may also give you corticosteroids you can give your cat when she is stable but still infected.
Surgical removal of heartworms from cats is currently being tested in Japan and Europe.
In the future, surgical extraction of the worms may be a viable option. , The best way to treat heartworm in your cat is to try to prevent her from developing the infection in the first place.
You can give her medication that contains macrocyclic lactone on a regular basis, which will kill the heartworm and prevent the infection from getting worse.Cats that are given heartworm prevention drugs do not show any signs of toxicity or negative side effects.
You can give cats heartworm prevention drugs when they are as young as six weeks old. -
Step 3: Notice if your cat vomits or has diarrhea.
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Step 4: Take your cat to the vet if she has fainting spells or collapses.
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Step 5: Allow the vet to do an antigen test.
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Step 6: Let your vet run an antibody test.
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Step 7: Ask the vet to do an echocardiography.
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Step 8: Have the vet do a chest X-ray on your cat.
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Step 9: Discuss treatment options with the vet.
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Step 10: Prevent heartworms in your cat by giving her medication that kills heartworm.
Detailed Guide
Though some cats infected with heartworm have few or no symptoms, you may notice non-specific symptoms in your cat, like a poor appetite.
Your cat may eat little to nothing for several days to a week and loss a significant amount of weight.One less common sign of heartworm is a pot-belly appearance in your cat, even if she has not eaten in some time.
This is due to a buildup of fluid called chyle, which can gather in your cat’s chest and abdominal area.
Your cat may also display symptoms that are related to lung and breathing issues.
She may have rapid breathing and coughing.
She may also appear to have a hard time breathing in and out.
Your cat’s breathing issues may make it difficult for her to move around so she may appear lethargic or lacking in energy. , These symptoms are due to issues in her gastrointestinal tract as a result of the heartworm.
You should take your cat to the vet right away if she displays these symptoms, as they usually indicate a serious medical issue. , Your cat may experience neurological issues like a lack of coordination, seizures, or fainting episodes.
You should take your cat to the vet right away if she collapses or has a fainting spell.
This could be the result of a heart murmur in your cat’s heart due to the heartworm., It can be difficult to make a positive diagnosis of heartworm in cats, as cats tend to harbor very few worms.
The vet may try several tests to determine if there is worms in your cat, including an antigen test.This test will help your vet to detect any female worms in your cat.
The vet will look at a sample of your cat’s blood and look for the traces of the antigens produced by female worms.
However, this test is not fool-proof and requires time to reach a confirmed diagnosis.
It can take five to eight months for a female worm to mature and trigger the antigen test.
As well, cats with worms can actually create a false negative result on an antigen test. , This is another blood test that looks at the amount of defensive antibodies produced in your cat’s body as a way to fight off the heartworm infection.
This test can show a positive result within two months of the development of the infection, a quicker result than an antigen test.However, antibody tests are also prone to false negatives.
In one study, 50% of cats tested with antibody tests turned up negative for heartworm infection, though they in fact did have heartworm.
Antibody tests will also only tell your vet that heartworm has been present in your cat and your cat’s body produced antibodies against it.
But it does not confirm if the infection is active or dangerous to your cat. , An echocardiography, also called an echo test or a heart ultrasound, will take moving images of your cat’s heart.This test will help you vet to get a positive visual of the worms in your cat’s heart and is considered the most useful way to confirm a diagnosis of heartworms in your cat.An echocardiography is painless and will have no side effects on your cat.
It can be done in your vet’s office or by a trained echocardiographist in another facility and usually takes no more than one hour.
Your cat’s heart movements will be shown on a screen and video and images will be taken of your cat’s heart to confirm the presence of heartworms.The cost for an echocardiography for cats can range from $200-$400.
Talk to your vet about the cost and be sure you can afford an echocardiography before you give your vet the go ahead to do one., The X-ray will help the vet look for pathological changes in your cat’s lungs due to the heartworm.
If there are changes present, this can indicate a disease is present.
But it cannot tell the vet definitively if your cat has heartworm or another condition, such as asthma.
Your vet may also do other tests to rule out other breathing issues or disorders until the only possibility is heartworm., Currently, there is no approved drug for the treatment of heartworms in cats.
Some vets may prescribe a drug used to treat dogs with heartworm but it can cause significant side effects in your cat, including lung failure and possibly death.
Another option is to treat the symptoms of heartworm in your cat in the hopes that your cat will outlive the infection.As heartworms can live in your cat for two to three years before they become serious, your cat may need several months worth of treatment.
The vet may prescribe oxygen treatment and drugs such as corticosteroids and diuretics that you can give your cat when she is experiencing symptoms due to the heartworms.
She may also give you corticosteroids you can give your cat when she is stable but still infected.
Surgical removal of heartworms from cats is currently being tested in Japan and Europe.
In the future, surgical extraction of the worms may be a viable option. , The best way to treat heartworm in your cat is to try to prevent her from developing the infection in the first place.
You can give her medication that contains macrocyclic lactone on a regular basis, which will kill the heartworm and prevent the infection from getting worse.Cats that are given heartworm prevention drugs do not show any signs of toxicity or negative side effects.
You can give cats heartworm prevention drugs when they are as young as six weeks old.
About the Author
Sarah Myers
With a background in lifestyle and practical guides, Sarah Myers brings 11 years of hands-on experience to every article. Sarah believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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