It was a day like every other. It was Inkie's time for her annual wellness exam with Dr. Waters. She received her vaccine, and the technicians took samples for a heartworm and stool check. Everything looked fine on her exam except for a little arthritis but for an older dog she was looking pretty good. She purchased her monthly single dose of Revolution and was on her way.

The next day when results came in for Inkie's heartworm test, there was something not right. The test said that she was positive for heartworms. There can sometimes be a false positive test that comes in so we ran another heartworm test, again with the same bad results.

Since Inkie's owner has been very diligent about buying Revolution every month (she buys a single dose monthly to help keep the cost down) and her medical records showed she has been on prevention monthly for several years, we placed a call to Zoetis (previously Pfizer) to inform them of the situation. Inkie received a case number and Zoetis will cover all costs for Inkie to have a Heartworm treatment, and they are also providing a year's supply of Revolution.

Inkie's owner was very relieved that Zoetis is taking responsibility and covering the treatment cost as it is very expensive, treatment can cost $800 to $1000.  This is one reason pet owners should alway buy their heartworm preventative from their veterinarians and not online. If Inkie had not had a medical history documenting the monthly purchase of Revolution, Zoetis would not have covered anything. They only guarantee their products when purchased from a licensed veterinarian.

Getting a positive result while on a monthly heartworm prevention is a rare occurrance, but it does happen. If you buy your prevention from your veterinarian, all pharmaceutical companies will back up their products. However, if you fall into the trend of purchasing your pet's medications from online pharmacies, they will not cover the product and you will be out a lot of money. Plus, animal hospitals have specials on their products that you cannot find online. You will receive free doses or get rebates for the products, and that usually matches any online price you may get. See the New Coupon section below this article.
 

Your pet becomes a "Senior" at 7 years of age. Since pets age more rapidly than humans do, we need to take some special precautions with them. For the month of September thru November,  Martin Downs Animal Hospital will be offering  Senior Screening Packages for your dogs and cats, too.

The package will include labwork, urinalysis, x-rays (2 views of either the abdomen or chest), blood pressure and glaucoma screening. We will also provide you with a written report of the findings / results. Please call 288-3456 to set up a Senior screening for your furry friend today!

 

AFTER