How Does A Snap Test Detect Heartworm

Please tell me Is the SNAP Heartworm RT Test confidently determine heartworm status? Give me the information about the Direction and dosage information for SNAP Canine Heartworm Antigen Test Kit? Give me the PDF file which gives the complete details of it?

Hii sir, I Wants to Know How to Perfrom the SNAP Test to Detect Heartworm in Pets Will you Please tell Me ?

[pawan]

Heartworm testing is performed to determine if a pet is infected with heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis).

Many veterinarians use a popular test called a SNAP test, which can be run in just a few minutes at your veterinarians office.

Sometimes, additional testing is performed to gain more information about the extent of heartworm infection for a particular patient.

Heartworm testing is recommended for most dogs before beginning a heartworm preventive program. Periodic testing is also recommended for dogs already on heartworm preventive medication.

How to Perform the Test

Heartworms are spread through the bite of a mosquito. When a mosquito bites an infected dog, it withdraws blood that contains immature heartworms (called microfilariae [pronounced micro-fill-air-ee-ay]).

These microfilariae mature inside the mosquito to become infective larvae. When the mosquito bites another dog, the larvae enter the dog and (in many cases) mature to become adult heartworms, which produce more microfilariae and continue the heartworms life cycle.

Current testing practices can detect several stages of heartworm infection:

Testing blood for microfilariae: Using a small blood sample, your veterinarian can detect heartworm microfilariae in your dogs blood.