Keeping your furry friend safe is especially key as a common pest starts to reappear along with the warmer weather. 

According to Orkin Pest Control, North Carolina's mosquito season begins in April and runs through October. Janet Raczkowski, a veterinarian at Adams Farm Animal Hospital in Greensboro, says mosquito season is especially dangerous for pets.

"Our incidence of heartworms is very high. It's over 92 or 93 percent, so if they're not receiving the preventative consistently, there is a very high risk they are going to get exposed to it," Raczkowski says because the condition can be caused by mosquito bites. 

April is National Heartworm Awareness Month, providing the perfect opportunity to emphasize the value of heartworm disease detection and prevention within your pets.

Heartworm is a preventable, but serious and potentially fatal parasite that that lives inside the hearts of animals. Heartworm is primarily seen in dogs, cats and ferrets, but it can also infect a variety of wild animals, including foxes, coyotes, pumas, raccoons, opossums and many others.

More than a million pets in the United States have heartworms. Let that sink in, because it is one of the most horrible statistics regarding our furry friends. Heartworm affects an animal’s health and quality of life long after the heartworms are gone. These creatures are heartless in what they do. The American Heartworm Society (https://www.heartwormsociety.org) reports that, typically, most pet owners would not knowingly put their pet at risk to become infected with the deadly disease, but millions of these same owners fail to protect their pet from the infestation. For a disease that is easily prevented, there are no excuses.

Ruth Olsen is the Operational Manager for the Sumter Humane Society. She provides a healthy home for the pets of Sumter County. As part of providing a healthy home, she wants the residents to know there is one simple act of kindness that could extend the life of a pet by 5 to 10 years. Ruth reports heartworms, primarily in dogs, have become an “epidemic.” A little over 25% of the dogs she meets are infected. Heartworms can cause a horrible death for a dog. It is Ruth’s hope if folks are aware of how simple prevention is, an investment can be made which will extend the quality of life for our animal friends. Local vet, Dr. Kyler Crawford, also agrees with Ruth, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Ruth and Kyler describe the effects of heartworms as being detrimental to both the animal and the folks who love them.

Did you know? It’s National Heartworm Awareness Month: Indiana continues to rank high (top 12 ) for canine heartworm disease. Tom Dock, BSc, CVJ, Director of Communications Practice Manager, Noah’s at Wheaton, tells us what we need to look out for:

1) Heartworms are parasites that can live in our pets’ heart and/or lungs, can live for 5-7 years and are often up to a foot long in length!

In a perfect world, any dog diagnosed with heartworms would undergo treatment and recovery prior to travel with their owner or, in the case of shelter dogs, being transported for adoption purposes.

But in a world fraught with a pandemic, hurricanes, and wildfires, delaying travel isn’t always possible for heartworm-positive dogs, especially for rescue dogs in need of rehoming.

That’s why the American Heartworm Society (AHS) and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) have issued updated joint recommendations to safeguard the health of heartworm-positive dogs while ensuring that infected animals don’t become vectors for heartworm transmission.

In an ideal world, any dog diagnosed with heartworms would undergo adulticide treatment and recovery prior to travel with an owner or being transported for purposes of adoption. In the real world, delaying travel is not always possible for heartworm-positive dogs, especially for rescued dogs in need of rehoming. To help guide veterinarians, shelter personnel and others on the front lines of animal rescue, the American Heartworm Society (AHS) and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) have issued a new set of joint recommendations designed to safeguard the health of infected dogs while ensuring that infected animals do not become vectors for heartworm transmission.

Rehoming. A move. Accompanying an owner on a trip. Such situations can mean that dogs diagnosed with heartworms must travel. The American Heartworm Society and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians recently released joint transport recommendations designed to safeguard the health of infected dogs while ensuring they do not become vectors for heartworm transmission.

Highlights

• Prevalence of adult heartworm (HW) infection was 4 % in cats and 28 % in dogs.
• Combining antigen and antibody testing led to an overall 19 % positive cats.
• Prevalence did not differ between dogs and cats with added feline antibody testing.
• Dirofilaria repens microfilariae were identified in one dog and one cat.
• Acanthocheilonema reconditum microfilariae were identified in four dogs.

Addressing pandemic-related lapses in heartworm prophylaxis

By Tom Nelson, DVM

When the COVID pandemic hit North America in March, the immediate goal of government leaders and public health officials was to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and avoid overwhelming human health-care systems. Lines were quickly drawn between “essential” and “nonessential” services, with definitions varying from state to state. In most states, veterinary personnel were considered essential workers and pet owners were allowed continued access to veterinary care; however, for a time, this was limited for many to emergency medical services.