TERRI JOHNSON, AAHA PRACTICE ACCREDITATION Heartworms—can you
imagine actually having worms in your heart? Not a pleasant
thought, but that’s exactly where they are. The technical term
for heartworm disease is dirofilariasis. Your veterinarian is
checking for the presence of an antigen that would be in your
dog’s bloodstream as a result of this disease when he/she does a
yearly heartworm blood test. disease is one of the major health
problems affecting dogs in the United States, and it is now
being found in cats. The disease develops when a pet becomes
infected with parasites transmitted through the bite of an
infected mosquito. Dogs may be infected by a few or up to
several hundred heartworms. Cats are similarly infected,
although usually by only a few worms. Having heartworm disease
can lead to other medical problems beyond the heart, including
lung, kidney and liver disease. The worms are found in the right
side of the heart and in the major vessels that bring blood to
and from the right chambers of the he