Evaluation of renal values during treatment for heartworm disease in 27 client-owned dogs

Canine heartworm disease (CHD) caused by Dirofilaria immitis remains a common preventable disease with increasing incidence in some parts of the USA. The treatment guidelines of the American Heartworm Society (AHS) currently recommend monthly macrocyclic lactone administration, 28 days of doxycycline given orally every 12 h and three injections of melarsomine dihydrochloride (1 injection on day 2 of treatment followed 30 days later by 2 injections 24 h apart). Minocycline has also been utilized when doxycycline is unavailable. The systemic effects of CHD, which particularly impact cardiac and renal function, have been described, with infected dogs often experiencing renal damage characterized by an increase in serum concentrations of renal biomarkers. Although the AHS treatment protocol for CHD has been shown to be safe and effective in most cases, the potential for complications remains. No study as of yet has evaluated changes in symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), a sensitive marker of renal function, during treatment for CHD. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate renal function in dogs by measuring serum creatinine and SDMA concentrations during the adulticide treatment period.

Citation

C. Autumn M. Vetter, Alison G. Meindl, Bianca N. Lourenço, Michael Coyne, Corie Drake, Rachel Murphy, Ira G. Roth, Andrew R. Moorhead. Evaluation of renal values during treatment for heartworm disease in 27 client-owned dogs Parasites & Vectors. 2023 Jun 09;16

PMID: 37291617

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