Marisa Ames, DVM, DACVIM, provides an informative and actionable summary from the September 2019 heartworm symposium. The topics in the presentations and poster included:
- Heartworm vectors and transmission
- Heartworm prevention
- Heartworm pathology
- Heartworm diagnosis
- Wolbachia and heartworm treatment protocols
. . . a strong correlation was noted between consistent use of preventives and understanding of how heartworm preventives work.
Source: Today’s Veterinary Practice, March/April 2020. Link. Heartworm disease is far more than a disease of the heart, lungs, and arteries. Studies show that heartworm infection can lead to multisystemic effects in both dogs and cats.
INSIGHTS: We’ve come a long way since early heartworm prevention measurements, but we’re not done yet. New generations of dog owners come along every decade or so. So, it is educate, educate, educate day by day for as long as mosquitoes live.