Heartworm disease in the NW United States just isn't very common. We are fortunate. The statistics in 1991 estimated that dogs were at a 3 % risk of the mosquito transmitted disease. The jump in the last few years has the estimates as high as 15%. Why? Well, the most likely influence was the event of Hurricane Katrina. People and their pets were displaced. Some of the temporary transplants came to the NW and were lent a helping hand. The animals that went through the veterinary clinics and the Humane Societies were tested. Not everyone got to take there pets through these avenues. They had a high probability of being positive and provided the simple nidus of infection to kickstart the disease. The disease is simple (very simple) to prevent. If the dog (rarely cats are treated or infected) is under 6 months old then a once monthly treatment can be started. If they are over 6 months they need to tested first and if negative the preventative is started. If the dog is positive ( has the infection) then injections of Arsenic must be injected into the back. The treatment carries some risk. In our practice we have treated 2 pets that were positive. When I lived in the midwest we treated pets all the time. Trust me prevention is the way to go. More on the symptoms next time.
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