By Alan Green

For many pet owners, and especially those of you who have sporting dogs and are outdoors a lot, heartworm disease is a potential killer that you need to be aware of. This disease is a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes. These worms eventually grow in the chambers of the heart and great vessels. This month’s contributor is Dr. Peggy Sayer. Dr. Sayer is a board certified veterinary cardiologist here at CVRC, and she sees and treats this disease frequently. The good news is it is a highly preventable disease.

At the recent American Heartworm Society symposium, there was a lot of discussion about heartworms developing resistance to preventative medications. This has been a dramatic development in the last few years and it has caused and enormous amount of concern. Overall the symposium served to calm many of those fears. Although the experts agreed that there are some resistant strains of heartworm identified, the strains are isolated and there is no evidence that they are spreading. However, it was stressed veterinarians need to be vigilant about watching for signs of resistance and dog owners must be vigilant about making sure our dogs receive heartworm preventative.

One study presented at the conference showed that the vast majority of cases that we thought might be resistance were actually just a failure to give preventative in a timely manner. These were dogs owned by what the veterinarian considered “great clients” who always came in for their vaccinations and took very good care of their pets but when they looked at the medical record they found small gaps where the heartworm preventative was due but none was purchased from the vet or other pharmacy. We can all see how this would happen, we lead busy lives and it is very easy to overlook that once a month tablet. But unfortunately when you live in an area of high prevalence like Charleston, even those small gaps can lead to a heartworm infection.

So, what can you do to make sure that your dog doesn’t develop a heartworm infection? Well, the most important thing is to make sure that your dog receives its preventative. Talk to your vet about the different options; there are many choices from once a month tablets to twice a year shots. If you are like me and can’t seem to remember anything, set up a reminder text through the website of the product you use (most of the major companies have this service) or you can set up a reminder through www.remindmypet.com.

It is amazing that in endemic areas (like Charleston) 7.4 percent of the mosquitos carry heartworm; however, if there is a dog in the area that has heartworm, then 74 percent of the mosquitos will carry it so if there are stray dogs, coyotes or kennels that may not be appropriately medicating their dogs it will increase your dog’s chance of getting an infection. The most likely time for your dog to be bitten is in the evening and at night; thus, if your dogs sleep outside, consider screening in their kennel to keep mosquitos, and the baby heartworms they carry, out.

We should not overlook our cat friends either. Though cats are much less likely to get heartworm infection, if they do, it can be deadly. Think your cat is safe because it doesn’t go outside? Well, more than 25 percent of the cats diagnosed with heartworm infection at North Carolina State Vet School were indoor only cats, so monthly preventative is a good idea for them as well.

I hate heartworm disease. Dogs and cats can have devastating signs, even die and it is very frustrating to know that it is preventable. Please take a minute and think about the changes you can make to ensure that your pets are protected. There are low-cost options available and like most things prevention is considerably less expensive than treating once pets are ill. If you would like further information about heartworm disease, talk to your vet or go the American Heartworm Society web page at www.heartwormsociety.org.