Heartworm Testing and Much More
GLVH
Key Points
Prevent, don’t treat
Screening/Testing is part of the prevention program
Infections are unpredictable
Talk to your veterinarian
Ticks are getting worse, fast
Cats can be affected too
I am writing this post in the middle of a -24 degrees Celsius cold snap in Southern Ontario as if talking about summer parasites will make spring come faster. I will use analogies, anecdotes and common sense to try and help pet owners understand the mystery that is “Heartworm Testing”.
We are in the profession of dealing with living beings in the form of pets who are a huge part of our families and who we want to live long and healthy lives. The key here is that living beings in even simpler terms constitute BIOLOGY. In biology, there is no black and white (other than life and death). Focusing on the “life” part we are constantly working in the grey zone within which fluctuates health and disease. As I helped my daughter with basic algebra the other night, I was once again jealous of the mathematics community where the answers were either right or wrong, simple as that. I must say, we were right most of the time, but she hasn’t started calculus yet.
As spring approaches (slowly) the parasites we dread also come alive ready to wreak havoc on this years crop of susceptible pets. I am talking about the big three in this post since current medications overlap in helping prevent disease from these. You guessed correctly if you named fleas, ticks and heartworm as the culprits. Keep in mind this is southern Ontario. Many pets further south deal with this year round.
Prevention is easier, safer and more economical than dealing with disease. Why are there so many lube shops out there? Because we take our vehicles there every 5-8000km for oil changes; to PREVENT larger issues. So why not prevent Lyme disease which is also a human health concern? Why not prevent heartworm disease which can be fatal and if detected can be costly, painful and dangerous to treat?
Ok, so prevention sounds like the way to go (pretty black and white). Why do I need to test (a grey zone)? The first thing to note is that not all heartworm testing is created equal and at our hospitals, we only use a blood test that screens for Heartworm, Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasmosis which is why we often now call it Heartworm/Lyme screening because these are the two most common in this area. It is a screening test because not only is it unpredictable as to whether your pet is infected, we are also trying to catch infections before they cause disease. The other important note is that preventative products for heartworm are designed to be given to negative animals and can be harmful if given to positive animals. So let’s make sure they are negative before we start!
So if you check off any of the following boxes, heartworm testing is recommended:
Has not been on preventative between June and November last year
Travelled outside of the immediate area to hot beds in Ontario/Canada or to the States
Missed a dose of prevention last year (have some left over)
Has not had a test for two years
Has had a tick removed or spent time in tick endemic areas
In a perfect southern Ontario world, one of two things would happen. Pets would be on prevention year round or they would be screened/tested every spring. It is hard to justify preventative medication today (literally, it is -24) as there are no mosquitos or ticks doing anything.
Our compromise is that we recommend screening/testing every 2 springs and your compromise is that you do the testing when recommended and give the preventative medication as intended.
For approximately $70 every 2 years, it is much less than those oil changes we spoke of. For the “do it yourself” mechanics out there who can do an oil change for $35, bring me a blood sample in a purple top tube and I will match that.
Products
There are many products available. Jump to the post on Flea, Tick and Heartworm Prevention to get all the information. Or contact us at (519) 824-9898 or via email.
Background Information (and a few more analogies, sorry)
Heartworm is literally caused by worms that live in the blood stream in or near the heart. You don’t need me to tell you this sounds bad. It is transmitted by mosquitoes so the risk period remains June to November in this area but you can see why geography matters. It is unpredictable! Why is it not a bigger issue in this area? I think that the biggest reason is because historically the majority of dogs in the area have been on prevention. We certainly have mosquitoes and we certainly have dogs. Within a 2 hour drive of here, there are populations of dogs where heartworm is almost the norm. What might be changing? Less prevention might be getting used. Much like not vaccinating children, we can see disease that has not been an issue for a long time. Importing infected dogs through rescue groups who are already positive. Did your neighbour just rescue a dog from Texas? Is it heartworm positive? You can’t control this but you can protect your own dog.
Ticks are relatively new but are coming on strong. We now live in a deer tick established area meaning that they will only ever get worse and never better in the coming decade at least. So Lyme disease positive cases are on the rise and this represents another good reason to screen your pets. Ticks are active (looking to feed on your pet) at any temperature over 4 degrees Celsius meaning that there is a less defined time frame than heartworm. Many dogs should be on prevention in early spring until almost Christmas. Lyme disease prevention is two fold. Use a product to prevent infection and consider Lyme vaccination if ticks exposure is likely to be high. Lyme disease can infect people so unlike heartworm, human health must be factored in as well. Tick prevention can be started prior to the blood test. Ask your vet for more information.
Fleas are almost a year round concern although I might guess we see more on pets when the days are warm and the nights are cool. All tick prevention products will protect against fleas and many heartworm prevention products will also. Fortunately, fleas do not typically transmit disease but an infestation can be devastating and lead to human flea bites as well.
I have not forgotten about cats but can keep it short. Outdoor cats should be on flea and heartworm prevention and should be dewormed as well. Any time they spend outside puts them at risk. Their lifestyle puts them at less risk for ticks but as I write this, I don’t know what the coming years will bring. In eastern Ontario many pet owners have ticks in their own backyards.
In summary, I hope you feel more informed and can see why most clinics in the area recommend a strategic program for parasite prevention. Biology is not black and white and infection with these diseases is at best unpredictable so take control of your own pets health.
Looking for more information on heartworm and lyme, click here
DrG
Pet Owners Helping Pets
