Because of the strong recommendations of the Canine Heartworm Society, Sheffield Veterinary Hospital will now recommend and perform heartworm test on all pets yearly.  This is in the best interest of the pet and for safety reasons we have found when we wait two years between tests, the client loses in two ways.

1),  The compliance of taking the medication by the pet without vomiting it later or hiding medication behind a couch.  As owners ourselves it is hard to remember to give the medication every single month on time.  The pet then can go with heartworms hurting the heart and lungs for two years with possible irreversible damage. 

2).  The manufactures guarantee that the that the medication will keep them free from heartworm disease only if they are tested annually. 

The earlier your pet can be identified with a medical problem the better their chances of a good outcome.  The best choice for all our loving pets is year round heartworm preventative and once a year heartworm blood testing.