On 28 December 2025, heartworm removal was performed in a poodle weighing 4.35 kg, via minimally invasive surgery.

 

Although only a single worm was extracted, removing one heartworm can be much harder than removing a whole bunch. Imagine fishing in a pool, catching one fish is often harder than catching many fish.

The heartworm measured an astonishing 28 cm in length. In a dog of this size, the long-term pathological impact of such a large parasite can be substantial.

In fact, the patient had a history of coughing, most likely secondary to chronic inflammation of the pulmonary vasculature caused by heartworm disease, consistent with chest radiography findings.

Following extraction, pulmonary artery pressures were directly measured using a catheter.

 

Catheterisation is the gold standard to diagnose pulmonary hypertension.

 

The systolic (48 mmHg), mean (39 mmHg), and diastolic (30 mmHg) pulmonary artery pressures were all elevated, confirming the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension (Group 5). Pulmonary hypertension is a common and clinically significant complication of heartworm disease.

Please protect your pets from heartworm disease by administering preventive medication regularly and on time because prevention is far safer than treatment.