OkcPets Magazine November 2021

18 OKC Pets • November/December 2021 HEARTWORMS: Not Just a Summertime Worry by Katy Hawkins Q uestion for all the dog and cat owners out there: When did your pet last receive heartworm preven- tion? Was it on the first of the month? Three months ago? Can’t remember? As a veterinary professional for the past 11 years, I have seen countless pets test posi- tive for heartworms and have witnessed the heartbreak that follows the diagnosis. Heartworms have impacted my own pup in significant ways. My boyfriend found our dog, Luke, as a stray at a gas station in Arkansas. He was about 10 months old at the time and had some scars, so we knew his previous life was not the best. We had him examined, as well as heartworm tested, right away — he was positive. We noticed some symptoms like lethar- gy and labored breathing. Dr. Tina Neel at Neel Veterinary Hospital performed an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) and beginning stages of cardiomyopathy were observed. Luke was only about 12 months old at the time so we knew that the heartworms had already caused damage. To try to prevent the condition from getting worse, Luke had to start taking an expensive heart medication called pimoben- dan. He also began the American Heart- worm Society’s gold standard treatment of multiple medications concluding with two fairly painful injections of Melarsomine, which kills the adult heartworms, into his lumbar muscles. This treatment protocol also requires several months of minimal activity, which meant no fun neighborhood walks or playing with our other dogs. He also could not go under anesthesia during this time be- cause of the increased risks associated with heartworms, so he was delayed in getting neutered. About eight months after treatment, we retested him and he continued to test positive. Another echocardiogram was Luke