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Heartworm Disease in Dogs: an Update |
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Eliot Kaplan, DVM
Clients frequently ask me if their dogs should be placed on heartworm preventative in the summer. I must admit that I do not strongly recommend that all dogs in the Central Okanagan be place on heartworm preventative every summer, but I still do my best to insure that my dog-owning clients have that option.
To understand the reason for this, one must review the history of heartworm in the Okanagan. The spread of heartworm in dogs in the Okanagan began approximately twenty years ago when a dog from Texas that was infected with the parasite was imported into Canada and kept in the Oliver/Osoyoos area. No one knew that dog was infected and few if any in the area had his or her dogs on heartworm preventative. As a result, many dogs were infected over the succeeding years. It was not until seven years following the import of that one dog that heartworm was first diagnosed in the area.
The diagnosis was made when a veterinarian in Oliver had a heartworm infected dog die on his exam table. He did an autopsy, found the dog's heart was full of worms, and the rest is history. Over the years it was found that many dogs in the area were infected. The final count exceeds one hundred.
After years of heartworm testing, treating cases, euthanizing some cases, and taking advantage of heartworm preventative, new cases are heartworm are few and far between in the Southern Okanagan. The question is; will heartworm outbreaks occur in the Central Okanagan if heartworm preventative is not used? I do not think anyone has a crystal ball reliable enough to accurately predict. But it is a possibility. It would require a heartworm-infested dog to be brought to the area during a warm mosquito season.
True outbreaks of heartworm disease in dogs have not occurred in the Central Okanagan as of yet. Therefore, I think that at this time our area can be considered fairly low risk for acquiring heartworm disease. However, if the owners wish to make it no risk, they should at least have the option of using heartworm preventative. Of course, dog owners in the Oliver/Osoyoos areas are well advised to have their dogs on heartworm preventative. |
