Feline heartworm diagnostic testingMarch 1, 2025Understanding the new American Heartworm Society guidelines, why and when to screen cats for heartworm infection.
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VPN Plus+ ExclusiveThe Lyme-positive dog: Is it necessary to treat a blue dot?February 19, 2025So, do we treat all 9.55 percent that test positive, even if they are asymptomatic and testing confirms exposure but cannot tell us which ones will, if ever, develop clinical signs? That is a lot of antibiotics to doll out for often asymptomatic patients. Sadly, because the disease is not reportable in animals, we have a much less clear picture of the true incidence of clinical cases than in human medicine, which also has significant underreporting concerns.
Feline Heartworm Guidelines updated by the AHSNovember 13, 2024Routine heartworm screening is now recommended for cats, according to the recent guideline updates announced by the American Heartworm Society (AHS) in managing the disease.
VPN Plus+ ExclusiveWhen summer ends, heartworm doesn'tOctober 10, 2024This trend of increasing incidence and regional spread is the confluence of a perfect storm — including a shift in the way pet owners acquire and care for their pets, a lack of awareness of how easily and efficiently heartworm infections are spread, and a lack of urgency regarding the growing nationwide risk of heartworm infection by pet owners.
Staff training on heartworm management offered in new AHS courseJuly 20, 2024The five video-based training modules by the American Heartworm Society (AHS) covers heartworm biology, diagnostics, prevention, treatment, and feline heartworm disease
At-risk shelter dogs spared from euthanasia through a heartworm awareness initiativeApril 15, 2024More than 12,800 shelter pets, including nearly 1,300 asymptomatic heartworm-positive dogs, were transported to adoptive homes as part of a heartworm awareness initiative.
Heartworm prevention nonadherence prevalent in the U.S., study findsOctober 31, 2023A Morris Animal Foundation-funded research reveals an ‘alarming’ gap in heartworm prevention in canines, citing less than 40 percent of dogs studied are on preventatives
Battling heartworm starts with client educationMay 4, 2023One of the most insidious parasitic infections in dogs is heartworm. If unchecked, the parasite, Dirofilaria immitis, wreaks havoc in the dog’s heart, lungs, and arteries, often resulting in death.
Lyme disease likely at higher risk this year, CAPC saysMay 2, 2023Lyme disease is expected to pose higher-than-average risk this year, the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) reports.
Southeast U.S. "hotbed" for heartworms, warns AHSApril 11, 2023An influx of heartworm-positive dogs across the U.S. and a general lack of prevention compliance are the driving factors behind the uptick in heartworm cases. This is according to the American Heartworm Society (AHS). The group has unveiled its 2022 Heartworm Incidence Map, drawn from data provided by thousands of veterinary practices and shelters across the U.S. The numbers show the locales with highest heartworm incidence continue to be those in and adjacent to the lower Mississippi Delta, AHS reports. These areas typically experience conditions fostering widespread heartworm infection, including, among other factors, a mosquito-heavy climate. "The states with the highest density of diagnosed heartworm cases in the latest survey were Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and Arkansas," says AHS president Jennifer Rizzo, DVM. "Meanwhile, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and the Carolinas all saw expansions of high-density areas on our incidence map." Additionally, the report shows "unexpected increases" in incidence for states with historically low heartworm rates, including Washington, Oregon, Kansas, North Dakota, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. These areas also saw the development of new "hot spot" areas within their borders. Further, several urban cities (including Seattle, Wash., and Boise, Idaho, in the Northwest; Bismarck, N.D., in …
