Now is also the time to protect pets by preventing flea infestations. All pets that go outside (even for just a few minutes a day) should have flea protection. A female flea can lay up to 100,000 eggs in her lifetime of 14 days! The most successful preventions (Program and Sentinel) sterilize the female fleas so that none of her eggs can hatch.
A Program injection will protect a cat for the entire flea season if given in the spring.
Dogs on Sentinel will also be protected against heartworm disease. When there is a need to ensure no living fleas are present at any time, treatments are available that will kill the adult flea within 90 seconds of contact with your pet. Your pet then acts as a "flea Magnet" and within 24 - 48 hours, most living fleas in your home and on your pet are gone! Advantage and Revolution are the available products in this category. These products are used monthly in a preventive way from May until November.
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Heartworm Disease
There is a high risk of your dog getting heartworm disease in the Brantford area. Whether you dog is older and spends little time outside or a younger, active dog, a single mosquito carrying a larval stage heartworm is all that is required. All dogs in our area should have a heartworm protection plan.
The steps in prevention are: 1. Mosquito repellants; 2. Monthly medication July to November; 3. Early detection of disease.
Mosquito Repellants include some of the products that are effective for humars such as Skin So Soft, as well as veterinary products. We recommend G Natural cream or spray. This useful product is available from our hospital, to purchase - just ask the receptionist. If your dog spends a lot of time outside, a mosquito repellant should be used.
Medication consists of a treatment to kill baby heartworm larvae before they reach an age where they can migrate to your dog's heart and mature. These medications are effective for larvae up to 45-60 days old. The first pill is given July 1st in Ontario. This gives protection as far back as May. The last pill is given after the latest date that mosquitoes can carry the larvae. In our area that is November 1st. For those dogs travelling south of Ontario at anytime during the year, a customized plan will be needed.
Early Detection is achieved by doing a heartworm blood test every year during your pet's annual check up. This ensures that even if the preventive medication failed to protect your dog, we can treat the infection before it starts to cause premanent damage to your dog's heart. Treating a 6 month old infection is much safer than waiting for one or two years. In addition to testing for the presence of heartworm, wellness blood tests can be done using the same blood sample. These tests assist us in tracking your pet's overall health status and allow us to diagnose diseases at an earlier date for more effective treatment.
What is Heartworm Disease? Heartworm Disease is caused by a blood parasite that poses a serious threat to dogs in Ontario. The level of disease for an unprotected dog in our area (Brantford) is one of the highest in Canada. Heartworms are large, round worms that live in the heart and lungs. They grow to 15-30 cm in 6 months and an unprotected dog may be infested with hundreds of worms.
When a carrier mosquito bites a dog it spreads immature worms that migrate to the heart where they mature into adults. Prevention by monthly medication aims to kill immature worms before they mature into an adult worm. This cycle starts in mid June and runs until mid October. If one larva survives the medication it settles in the heart. It is easy to see how one infected dog can infect a whole neighbourhood.
All dogs need to have a heartworm test every year to ensure that a hidden infection is not causing damage to their heart. This ensures that even if the preventive medication failed to protect your dog, we can treat the infection before it starts to cause permanent damage to your dog's heart. Treating a 6 month old infection is much safer than waiting for one or two years. If a dog has had monthly preventive protection in the previous year, this test can be done during the annual exam throughout the year. If there has been any break in the protection the pet should be tested between the first of May and the first of July. This will check for infections originating from the previous year.
Reasons for Annual Testing:
* 1 in 20 dogs in Brantford not on prevention will have a positive test
* 1 in 1000 dogs on prevention in Brantford will have a positive test
* To screen for medication compliance or failure
* To eliminate allergic reactions to the medication
* To maintain the product guarantee so if your dog does get heartworm disease while on prevention, the manufacturer will pay for treatment costs
How do the medications work? Heartworm protection works "backwards" that is, it kills migrating larvae acquired in the previous month. It offers no future protection! All of the available products are effective against other parasites as well. See the table below to help in formulating a "Parasite Protection Plan" for your dogs. For those dogs traveling south of Ontario at anytime during the year, we will make a customized plan for you.
Product |
Range of Protection |
Start Date |
Interceptor (Chewable tablets) |
Heartworm, Intestinal worms |
July 1st |
Sentinel & Program (Chewable Tablets) |
Heartworm,Intestinal worms, Fleas |
May 1st Program for Fleas July 1st Sentinel |
Revolution (Topical) |
Heartworm, Fleas, Ticks |
May 1st for fleas April 1st for ticks |
Frequently Asked Questions
Dr. Mulder has done an extensive review of the scientific literature regarding heartworm disease as well as looking at the local disease patterns. While most areas of the province present a low risk to dogs, there are pockets of severe risk. We are in one of the high risk areas of Ontario and our recommendations are designed for maximum protection and minimal risk.
The medications kill most larvae and so prevent them from migrating to the heart and lungs. These treatments are done once a month but it is possible that 1 or 2 migrating larvae develop into an adult worm. Every year about 15% of the dogs that test positive for heartworm were supposedly treated with monthly medication. The key to successfully treating canine heartworm disease is early detection. If, for some reason, a dose of medication was not given at the same time monthly or your dog vomited up the medication without your knowledge, there is a chance your dog could have been infected with canine heartworm. If we test yearly, then we can pick up an infection of only 1-2 worms rather than testing every 2 years, when the chances of the worms reproducing a large amount of baby worms is highest. There is less risk of complications during treatment of the disease when there are fewer worms in the heart.
In low risk areas (~0.01% for most areas of Ontario) this is a reasonable choice. However, in our area the incidence of infestation can vary from 3-5%!! The risk for dogs on medication is between 0.1% and 0.01%. Thus, there is a very real benefit to the medication. In addition, if a dog does become positive for heartworm despite the medication, the number of heartworms that he may get is much lower. Remember, one infected mosquito can carry thousands of worms! An unprotected dog can suddenly get a life threatening burden of worms with just a few mosquito bites.
If a dog has not been protected in the past, the chance of having large numbers of worms in his system is high. In these circumstances, treating with certain heartworm medications may trigger serious problems brought on by the dying worms and larva. However, if the number of worms and larva is minimal, no such reaction will occur. New research indicates that if a dog has acquired the hearworm infestation despite preventive medication, the number of worms and larva is extremely low. If there is any doubt as to your dog's status during last summer's heartworm season, we will do the test prior to starting any medication this year. Why can't I just get the medication and forget the testing altogether? While the risk of getting heartworm while on medication is low, and the chances of a massive infestation are even lower, there is still a possibility. Even a single worm in the heart can lead to significant heart damage over time. The amount of larva can build up over time as well, making "blind" treatment more dangerous. For these two reasons we are not willing to put our patients at risk by dispensing medication without the annual blood test to screen for existing disease. In addition, for the medication's guarantee to be honoured by the pharmaceutical company, an annual test is required.
Mosquito repellents are an effective way to reduce exposure to mosquitoes. We recommend G Natural spray (available from our hospital, just drop in to purchase anytime). If your dog spends a lot of time outside a mosquito repellent should be used. This should not be in place of monthly preventive medication, rather an added benefit for high risk dogs.
Wellness blood tests can be performed using the same blood sample as the heartworm blood test. There are different levels of wellness testing. We will recommend the level appropriate for your pet depending on their age. The tests inform us about:
- Immune System Function
- Hydration Status
- Organ Function (I.e.. Liver, Kidney)
- Blood Clotting Ability
Wellness testing allows us to detect disease that may not be seen outwardly. In other words, it provides early disease detection. In addition, we are able to get baseline values for your pet specifically. That way, should your pet get sick in the future, we will compare her blood work when she's sick to when she was healthy and know what changes have occurred.
January 29, 2009
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To provide medical excellence & friendly advice in an atmosphere of Godly compassion to enable you to make wise healthcare choices for your family pet.
