our advice : ASK DR . CATE
Vet Rap by
Dr . Ryan Cate
Getting to the Heart of Prevention
Dear Dr . Cate , At my pet ’ s annual checkup , they recommended a heartworm test . I keep my dog on a monthly preventative . How could he still be infected with heartworms ? Also , he mentioned something else we should add as another layer of protection . Do you know what that would be ?
A : Heartworm preventatives are not technically preventatives ! They work after the fact to kill any heartworm larvae that may have infected your dog or cat in the prior 30 days . A heartworm test will tell your veterinarian if your pet currently has any live larvae that need immediate attention . Heartworm disease is deadly and is taken very seriously by your vet !
Q : How does my dog or cat get heartworms ? A : It all starts with an infected dog and a mosquito ! There are currently 22 different species of mosquitoes that can carry heartworm , and they are active at different times of the day and year . The mosquito bites a dog that has the immature heartworms ( called microfilaria ) circulating in its blood . Once it ingests the blood , the microfilaria develop and after about a week , these immature heartworms change to larvae inside the mosquito . The mosquito then bites a healthy dog and transmits the larvae to the healthy dog . This dog now is infected with heartworm larvae that grow to adults and reproduce . It only takes ONE mosquito bite to transmit deadly heartworm disease . Because we live in the south , our climate has mosquitoes year round and therefore pets are at risk ! This is why it is important to stay on heartworm preventative year round too . Preventatives are available in oral form OR as an injection given to your dog twice per year .
Until recently , your veterinarian has tried to prevent heartworm disease in pets by providing the same types of heartworm preventatives , these products have been very successful . However , in recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of heartworm positive cases including resistant cases , along with a growing mosquito population . Because of these challenges , the American Heartworm Society now recommends that veterinarians advise pet owners to use both a traditional heartworm preventative , and a product that can kill and repel mosquitoes . The good news is there is a product that can do just that . Vectra 3D is a product that is proven to be effective at keeping mosquitoes from biting your pet ! When Vectra 3D is paired with a heartworm preventative - it is proven to be incredibly effective in preventing heartworm infection from even the most resistant types of heartworm . This is a concept called DOUBLE DEFENSE . As a bonus , Vectra3-D also kills and repels other parasites such as fleas , ticks , biting flies , lice and some types of mites .
The reason that vets focus so much on heartworms is because they are nasty and depending on the stage of infection they can cause a mild cough , loss of appetite , fatigue , reluctance to exercise and at its latest stages congestive heart failure and death . It can take up to six months for your animal to develop mature heartworms . Heartworm treatment is onerous . It can take up to five months for an animal to be treated the conventional way for heartworms . It is a series of three shots and the animal must be kept calm and quiet throughout treatment . Our local community is trying to do something about heartworm positive pets starting with the animals at the Weatherford / Parker County Animal Shelter . The reason is if there are less infected dogs and cats in our area , there is less chance of a mosquito biting them and spreading heartworms around . Under a new protocol , all animals at the shelter are given Vectra 3D to repel pests . Parker County Pets Alive has also raised and spent $ 30,000 to treat all heartworm positive pets that come into the shelter rather than euthanize them . The pets are fostered out for the quiet and calm that is necessary during the treatment , and they are seen by either Dr . Kent or myself during that time . These foster parents are doing great work helping these dogs back to health so they can be adopted and find their forever homes .
Every year veterinary medicine changes as new drugs , treatments and protocols are tested and introduced . Unfortunately for pet owners , I don ’ t see a time in the future where heartworms won ’ t be a problem in the south . Fortunately for us , there is a simple and safe solution to both repel and prevent heartworms in our pets . Ask your vet what is the best solution and medication for your animals .
APRIL 2017 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
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