AHS Board Speaks Out

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STEPHEN JONES, DVM

While pet numbers in the U.S. are increasing, the number of annual heartworm preventive doses sold in the U.S. is declining. I believe this is a frightening trend, especially considering that the average number of heartworm cases per veterinary clinic rose by 21% between 2013 and 2016.¹

I recently researched medication adherence in human patients²in order to better understand why people don’t take their own medications. In the process, I learned that the reasons my clients don’t give pets heartworm preventives as directed are similar to the reasons they skip their own cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure medications.

BRIAN A DIGANGI, DVM, MS, DABVP

Q. The American heartworm Society (AHS) and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) recently released a set of best practices for transporting dogs. Why?

A. The AHS and ASV saw a need for heartworm-specific transport recommendations to guide veterinarians and animal shelters. Heartworm disease has become more widespread in the U.S. over the past several decades, due in part to the increased movement of heartworm-positive dogs to regions where heartworm disease was once uncommon. When mosquitoes feed on a microfilaremic dog, they become heartworm vectors capable of transmitting heartworms to unprotected pets.

Read more: Relocate Dogs—Not Heartworms

BRIAN A DIGANGI, DVM, MS, DABVP

Veterinarians today are fortunate to have several point-of-care heartworm tests. In the majority of cases, these D. immitis antigen tests meet practitioners’ needs for speed and accuracy. However, when test results conflict with clinical expectations, the added step of heat pretreatment(HPT) of the sample should be considered.

CHRISTOPHER J. REHM, DVM

Is heartworm incidence up or down in your practice area?

The latest American Heartworm Society Heartworm Incidence Survey has uncovered both challenges and opportunities for veterinarians in practice. On one hand, heartworm incidence has inched upwards in the three years since the AHS survey was last conducted. On the other hand, the power to reverse this upward trend is, quite literally, in our hands.

CHRISTOPHER J. REHM, DVM

APRIL IS HEARTWORM AWARENESS MONTH and the ideal time to discover the many resources available from the American Heartworm Society (AHS). Our goal: to arm you with the knowledge and tools you need to defeat this serious parasite.