Smart protocols
Open the treatment workflow in Vetool
The Canine Heartworm Protocol gives you a dated place to organize the adulticide workflow, follow-up points, and case notes while you work through the plan.
Keep the treatment sequence visible
Heartworm cases can become difficult when dates, reassessments, and handoffs are tracked in separate places. Start by keeping the case stage, treatment plan, and next check visible to the whole team.
Confirm and stage the case
Use the diagnostic and staging work that fits the patient before building the plan. The workflow changes when the dog is unstable, has marked clinical disease, or needs additional risk assessment.
Map the pre-adulticide period
Record the intended restriction, preventive, and pre-treatment steps in one place so the team can see what has already happened and what still needs scheduling.
Schedule adulticide milestones
Track adulticide milestones as dated items. Put each milestone, client instruction, and follow-up contact on the timeline.
Plan reassessment points
Build in checks for clinical status, client adherence, and any delay that could change the next step. A small missed date can affect the rest of the plan.
Close the loop after treatment
Keep post-treatment follow-up and prevention planning attached to the case. After the last injection, the dog still needs a clear prevention and testing plan.
Where cases usually drift
The common problem is not a missing guideline. It is a plan that becomes less clear after a delay, a handoff, or an incomplete prevention history.
Clinical risk changes
Pause when signs worsen, the dog cannot tolerate the planned pace, or the case no longer fits the standard path.
Dates move
Recheck the plan when a visit, medication, or client instruction is delayed. The next step should come from the updated timeline.
Prevention history is incomplete
Treat missed or delayed prevention as its own follow-up question. The testing plan depends on what was missed and when.
When prevention has been missed or delayed
A prevention gap is a different problem from a confirmed treatment case. First clarify the date of the last on-time dose, what product was used, and whether any testing has already been done.
Start with the timeline
Record when prevention was last given on schedule and when the gap was noticed. Vague timing makes follow-up harder.
Separate overdue prevention from confirmed disease
A missed dose does not automatically mean the dog is infected, but it does create a follow-up plan that should not be left to memory.
Set the next testing point
Use current guidance and local practice standards to decide what testing is needed now and what should be repeated later.
Need the workflow in the app?
Open the Canine Heartworm Protocol when you are planning treatment. Use the Prevention Gap tool when the question starts with missed or delayed prevention.
References
- Current Canine Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Heartworm Infection in Dogs, American Heartworm Society. AHS canine guidelines
- Canine Guidelines Highlights, American Heartworm Society. AHS canine highlights
Disclaimer
For veterinary professional education and workflow support only. This page does not replace clinical judgment, local regulations, product labeling, or current veterinary references.