Seven cases of heartworm disease (dirofilariosis) in dogs in The Netherlands.

We present here the clinical history, diagnosis, and treatment of seven dogs with dirofilariosis. All dogs were imported into the Netherlands after residing in an area in which dirofilariosis is endemic. In three of these dogs the infection was occult, for the serological test was positive but there was no microfilaraemia. Weight loss, coughing, dyspnoea, and decreased exercise tolerance were the most prominent clinical signs. Two of the dogs had the characteristic electrocardiographic and radiographic signs of enlargement of the right heart. Treatment with thiacetarsamide and ivermectin resulted in complete remission in six dogs. One dog died, presumably as a result of acute renal failure. In the past year (1992-1993) seven cases of canine dirofilariosis were diagnosed, nearly equal to the number in the preceding 10 years (n = 9). This most probably reflects the greater sensitivity of the serological diagnosis of dirofilariosis in comparison with identification of microfilariae in the circulation, but a real increase in the number of dogs with dirofilariosis as a result of growing international traffic of tourists accompanied by pets cannot be excluded.