2025 forecast warns of rising pet parasite threatsApril 15, 2025Check out the 2025 Pet Parasite Forecast and learn how vector-borne diseases affecting pets and humans are spreading to new regions, driven largely by changing tick and mosquito distributions.
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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.
Heartworm infections likely above average this yearMay 13, 2021CAPC has released its 2021 Parasite Forecast and corresponding 30-day Pet Parasite Forecast maps, alerting veterinarians and pet owners of impending outbreaks across the U.S.
Boehringer offers tips for Lyme disease preventionSeptember 10, 2019As summer shifts to fall, Boehringer Ingelheim wants to remind owners to remain vigilant in protecting their pets against Lyme disease.
Dogs can alert human risk to Lyme diseaseMay 27, 2019Health-care providers can now use dogs as a way to measure human risk for Lyme disease, according to a study by Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC). "This research shows how man's best friend continues to safeguard humans as a sentinel to alert humans where they are at greatest risk for Lyme disease," says CAPC executive director, Christopher Carpenter, DVM. "The model established in this research breaks new ground to give residents, travelers, and health-care providers a county-level map to help them identify areas of risk across the country." Through the study, researchers quantified the relationship between canine seroprevalence for the disease-causing bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Lyme disease in humans. Seroprevalence is used to calculate the number of dogs testing positive among all tested dogs within a county. The study showed a correlation between human incidence and dog seroprevalence. According to researchers, they were able to study more than seven years of nationwide canine diagnostic data as a result of dogs being tested annually for exposure to Borrelia burgdorferi. The collected data represented more than 400 million data points, which is usually difficult to obtain when looking directly at ticks and the environment. "By combining sophisticated statistical modeling with this …
New CAPC study shows Lyme disease is spreadingMay 7, 2019Research from the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) indicates seroprevalence of Lyme disease in dogs is not only increasing in the Northeast, where it is considered endemic, but also spreading into areas that were previously thought to not be at risk for this serious, zoonotic tick-borne disease. ("Seroprevalence" in this case refers to the prevalence of dogs exposed to Borrelia burgdorferi, the pathogen responsible for causing Lyme disease in the U.S. based on serologic tests—hereafter referred to as "prevalence.") Study results were published in the December 2018 issue of Environmetrics, the official journal of The International Environmetrics Society (TIES). This milestone study, titled "A Large-scale Spatio-temporal Binomial Regression Model for Estimating Seroprevalence Trends," suggests canine prevalence rates for Lyme disease are rising and that those rates are increasing most in areas where the pathogen has recently encroached. Specifically, exposure in dogs to B. burgdorferi is rising in states not traditionally considered to be areas of high Lyme risk. Significant increases in the percentage of dogs testing positive for exposure have also been seen in areas that have not yet reported significant human incidence. These findings suggest canine Lyme prevalence could serve as an early warning system for changes in …
CAPC forecasts higher heartworm infections in South Central, Southeastern statesApril 26, 2019The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) predicts in its newly released parasite forecast that heartworm occurrence will be higher than average this year . "We started providing our annual forecasts over eight years ago because of the dynamic and ever changing nature of parasites," says CAPC executive director, Christopher Carpenter, DVM. "Over the years, we have seen these diseases continue to move. Our annual forecast will alert pet owners to the risks this year and remind them our pets need to be tested and protected year-round." The council's forecast predicts these areas are the riskiest for parasite-related diseases: South Central and Southeastern states are expected to see a higher than average infections with heartworm. The areas of greatest concern are those along the Mississippi River from Northern Louisiana into Illinois. Areas with historically lower incidence of heartworm such as Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, should note the predicted higher prevalence. The Appalachian region, the Atlantic Coast, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are seeing a high threat again for Lyme disease. Northwestern Minnesota is forecasted to be active with the transmission of the agents of anaplasmosis. Southern Central states, particularly Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri are expected to see higher numbers of ehrlichiosis. To …
Dangerous tick species could spread across North AmericaFebruary 13, 2019The long-horned tick could establish itself across North America if transported accidentally, according to a new study.
Study shows increase of Lyme disease in dogsDecember 28, 2018Lyme disease in dogs has become increasingly common in the Northeast and has moved into U.S. regions not historically considered endemic.
FDA approves NexGard expanded label claimsAugust 22, 2018Merial, part of Boehringer Ingelheim, received approval from the U.S Food and Drug Administration to expand the label claims for NexGard (afoxolaner). The flea and tick control product is now approved to prevent Borrelia burgdorferi infections as a direct result of it killing Ixodes scapularis vector ticks, commonly called black-legged, or deer, ticks. NexGard is the first and only flea and tick product to receive FDA approval for preventing infections that cause Lyme disease by killing the vector ticks, the company stated. The approval comes just as veterinarians and pet owners in many parts of the country are being warned about the potential of an increased number of Lyme disease cases in 2018. The FDA approval is based on two well-controlled laboratory studies that showed that NexGard effectively prevented the transmission of B. burgdorfei infections after dogs were infested with wild-caught I. scapularis ticks 28 days after treatment with NexGard, said the manufacturer. "Both studies measured the transmission of B. burgdorferi to dogs after exposure to infected ticks," said Zach Mills, DVM, head of US Pet Veterinary Professional Services. "All dogs treated with NexGard tested negative for B. burgdorferi infection, demonstrating that transmission was prevented as a direct result …
