OkcPets Magazine November 2021

November/December 2021 • OKC Pets 19 performed and an adult heartworm was visualized in his heart during the ultrasound so it is suspected that he had a high count of worms initially, and he was one of only 1% of dogs that require another regimen of the heartworm treatment. Finally, at about 2½ years old, he tested negative for heartworms. A few months later, with more images of his heart captured, we were able to wean him off of the additional heart medications because the cardiomyop- athy was almost completely gone. This was not an easy or simple treatment process with essentially two years of expensive (thousands of dollars) protocols followed so that Luke could have a healthy life. I’m happy to say that he is now 4½ years old, enjoys the sunshine, walks with his little brother, Archie, and cuddles with everyone on the couch. Fortunately, this deadly parasite is easily prevented with multiple inexpensive options for pet owners — monthly chews or a simple injection once or twice yearly. There is a widespread myth that a pet can only get heartworms in the summer. This is false! Heartworms can be transmitted year-round, and even a missed dose of prevention by just a few days can result in a positive test. But let’s get into the details of heartworms themselves. Heartworm larvae are trans- mitted into dogs and cats (and some exotic pets like ferrets) via a carrier mosquito bite, where they then develop into adult heart- worms. These adult worms travel through the bloodstream, settle in the dog’s heart and then start their mission to damage the tissue. This process takes months. In-clinic testing for heartworms is able to detect the protein that adult female heartworms secrete after they have developed inside the pet’s bloodstream for about six months. So by the time your pet tests positive for heartworms, those heartworms have been setting up shop inside of the bloodstream and heart for HALF OF A YEAR at least. Let’s say your pet tested negative for heart- worms in the summer of 2019 but tested pos- itive for heartworms in the summer of 2020. With the six-month development period of the worms testing positive means that there is a high likelihood that your pet was bitten by a carrier mosquito in a winter month. Also keep in mind that if any mosquito bites a heartworm-positive dog, that mos- quito can then become a carrier and infect any other dog it may bite at a later time. It’s a vicious cycle. Working at Neel Veterinary Hospital in Oklahoma City has allowed me to see firsthand the prevalence of heartworm-pos- itive dogs, specifically. To take a wider view, refer to Figure 1 — a map of the United States provided by the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) that shows the number of heartworm-tested canines, along with the stats for positive cases. Positive cases have been detected in all 50 states in every month of the year, so there is no escaping those infected mosquitoes, no matter what the temperature is or vegeta- tion allocation. In 2021, there is a 1.2% rate of positive tests. You can also see the states that have the highest rates of positive cases — Oklahoma is included in that group, unfortunately. Now, narrowing in on our state on Figure 2 allows us to get a little more personal. We jump to the fact that 2.3% of dogs tested positive here in Oklahoma. (Gray counties indicate that veterinary clinics located there do not send their heartworm tests to the Figure 1 Figure 2