How easy is it to order a Chagas test through Affordable Pet Labs?
Alyona and her TracysPawsRescue pup, ChuChu, would like to show you!

Chagas disease is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and is spread by triatomine bugs, also known as kissing bugs. They are endemic in the southern United States (pictured in orange below), Latin America and South America. The symptoms of Chagas can easily be mistaken for other illnesses and diseases, so it is often misdiagnosed. Chagas disease in dogs can be a silent killer, and it is not well known or tested for, as we discovered when we set out to educate ourselves. In dogs, the primary effect is usually heart disease and or sudden death left untreated.

Dogs can be infected with Chagas and have NO symptoms until sudden death. Chagas disease primarily causes severe heart failure or arrhythmia in dogs because the parasite invades heart muscle tissue. Death can occur at any stage of the disease. Dogs less than a year old tend to develop serious, sudden cases of heart failure, while older dogs will develop heart disease. Symptoms include:

• Depression or lethargy

• Fever

• Lack of appetite

• Seizures

• Weakness or difficulty walking

• Increased heart rate

• Diarrhea

• Anemia

• Swollen lymph nodes, liver, or spleen

PLEASE NOTE: Your veterinarian may not be familiar with Chagas Disease in dogs and may advise against testing for it. If this happens, please visit a Chagas Testing Location marked in the map above. If none are close to you, please contact us and we will help you find a clinic that will test your dog.

Your dog can appear asymptomatic for years after infection (remember, dogs can't always tell us when they're not feeling well!) while the disease slowly invades the heart tissue. If they have spent any amount of time in one of the states highlighted in orange or yellow below, absolutely YES.

Testing for Chagas disease should be standard practice, just like heartworm testing, even if your dog is not showing symptoms.

ALL dogs that test positive for Chagas disease should be treated- even if the results show a "low-positive" and/or your dog has no noticeable symptoms.

• A low-positive titer doesn’t mean the infection is mild or inactive—some chronic infections trigger a low-level immune response, keeping antibody levels low while the parasite continues damaging tissues.

• Chagas is a progressive disease where the parasite hides in the heart, causing silent but severe damage over time that can lead to heart disease, arrhythmias, or sudden cardiac death.

• Many dogs with low titers still develop serious heart disease.

• Ignoring a low titer could mean missing life-threatening complications that could have been managed earlier.

Testing for Chagas disease only requires a blood sample to be sent out to one of two labs below- please take your dog to a Licensed Veterinarian and request for the test to be done.

If your Veterinarian has never had a dog tested for Chagas, they will need to create an account with one of the only two labs in the US that are testing for this disease:

1.) Texas A&M Veterinary Medical DIagnostic Laboratory 979-845-3414

2.) Auburn University 334-844-7187

Attached is an example of a Chagas test ordered through TVMDL. The type of test that needs to be performed is called an Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) blood test to detect antibodies for Trypanosoma cruzi.

For Vets/Vet clinics: Please see "Sampling instructions for Chagas test" to view specific instructions on how to collect a blood sample for this test.

Yes!

Much research has been done since 2006 and after 12 months on this treatment, dogs have tested negative for Chagas and have been completely cured. Treatment information can be found in the informational video at the bottom of this page.

Treatment must be prescribed by a licensed Veterinarian and is not available over-the-counter.

The cost of testing can vary depending on your location, but we have heard prices ranging from $70-$450.

Making sure the vet clinic sends the sample directly to TVMDL or Auburn University, instead of an intermediary lab like IDEXX, will also ensure that additional fees are not tacked onto the price.

Most clinics that are getting the test done directly through TVMDL are charging less than $180.

No! Chagas disease is spread from Kissing bugs. A dog infected with Chagas disease cannot spread it to other dogs.

The best resource for identifying a Kissing bug can be found in this pdf document created by Texas A&M University

In this document, you'll also find information on where to send a kissing bug if you find one in your home or suspect someone has been bitten by one.

Of all the dogs we've tested for Chagas disease since September 2020, about 15% have tested positive, with our highest month reaching 53% (n=17) in August 2022.

In August 2020, we lost several dogs to sudden death. All of the dogs appeared healthy and had no visible signs of illness. They died suddenly and necropsies showed Chagas disease. We were devastated. We had never seen this before in the ten years we have been rescuing dogs. All dogs coming into our program are now tested for Chagas disease.

• Being bitten by an infected kissing bug

• Eating infected kissing bugs or infected prey animals

• Passed from mother to pups

PLEASE NOTE: Dogs with Chagas are not contagious to other dogs or humans

Since there is no vaccine for Chagas disease, the best way to protect your dog is through insect and animal control. To minimize the risk of your dog’s exposure to kissing bugs and Chagas:

• Keep dogs inside the house at night. Kissing bug feed at night

• Keep outside lights off at night because lights can attract the bugs

• Remove wood, brush, and rock piles near your house

• Keep house and outdoor pet resting areas clean

• Routinely check areas for kissing bugs

• Spray kennels and other pet areas with pet-friendly insecticides

• Make sure your dogs always take their Veterinarian-prescribed flea & tick preventative on time. Isoxazolines such as Fluralaner (Bravecto) and Afoxolaner (NexGard) show some protection against Kissing bugs.

Pest control is not 100% effective. Yearly testing is highly recommended to ensure your dog does not have Chagas, and most importantly, to increase their chances of survival if caught early and treated.

If your dog is negative for Chagas disease, their IFA test will say "negative <20." If they are positive, they will have a number directly below the "titer" column and it will state that antibodies were detected. Please see the positive test result sample below.

The report below is from a group of samples that were sent at the same time- we've highlighted the positive results in red.

Yes

Please visit our "Chagas Testing Locations" above for a list of vet clinics that can get your pet tested.

Sampling Instructions (Sourced from TVMDL website)

Collect 1mL serum from clotted blood in a non-additive tube (e.g. plain red top or serum separator). When possible, transfer clear serum off the clot into a new tube. Excessively hemolyzed samples are not acceptable for this test.

Collection Container: Glass or plastic tube with no anticoagulant additives.

Packing Instructions Label all samples with unique identifiers.

For multiple samples, number tubes consecutively using a permanent marker or adhesive label. Include a list of sample names/numbers or the Excel specimen import spreadsheet with submittal form. Place the tubes in consecutive, numerical order in cardboard boxes designated for tubes.

Do not submit loose in bags.

Use cold packs during hot weather, especially if shipping serum samples on the clot. Overnight shipping is recommended.

Special Instructions

Samples must be received in the testing lab / location by 3 p.m. CST, 1 business day before the scheduled test day, otherwise samples will be held until the next scheduled test day.

Source: https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/tests/trypanosoma-cruzi-ifa/

No!

Most dogs with Chagas disease (and people) are asymptomatic. Dogs that have the IFA test do not have to have symptoms in order to test positive.

The IFA test is the gold standard and is the best test to get the most accurate diagnosis.

IFA (gold standard)

- Titre is not too important other than determining if the sample is positive (20<) or Negative (<20).

- A common trend: Higher titre- more recently infected.

- Titre can be up to 32,000- anything 20 and above warrants treatment

- Must test 3 weeks after initial infection to show up on the test

PCR:

- 99% Acute phase sensitivity, 100% Specificity.

- 51% Chronic phase sensitivity, 100% Specificity

- T. cruzi intermittently sheds, similar to heartworm, so dogs could test positive in the morning and negative several hours later. This is why PCR is NOT recommended to diagnose Chagas disease

The cost of the two drugs are approximately $30 monthly for every 20 pounds of dog. For instance, for a 40 pound dog the cost is $60 monthly and so on.

Most dogs undergo treatment for 12 months before they're completely cured.

Your vet must prescribe the medications for treatment, but we've found that Costco has the most affordable prices and does not require a membership to pick them up.