Can humans get Heartworm? Yes…and No. Human pulmonary dirofilariasis is caused by the transmission of infective third stage larvae of the canine heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, during blood-feeding by several species of infected mosquitoes. Since humans are not primary hosts and cannot support the parasite’s life cycle, infective larvae die after migrating to the pulmonary vascular [...]

This article examines the individual factors that influence prevalence rates of canine heartworm in the contiguous United States. The data set pictured below was provided by the Companion Animal Parasite Council, which contains county-by-county results of over nine million heartworm tests conducted during 2011 and 2012, is analyzed for predictive structure. The goal is to [...]

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in both dogs and cats. The disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis (D. immitis) continues to cause severe disease and even death in dogs and other animals, even though safe, highly effective and convenient preventatives have been available for the past 20 years. Furthermore, the parasite [...]

The heartworm Dirofilaria immitis is an important parasite of dogs. Transmitted by mosquitoes in warmer climatic zones, it is spreading across America at an alarming pace. There is no vaccine, and chemotherapy is prone to complications. To learn more about this parasite, experimental biologists have sequenced the genomes of D. immitis and its endosymbiont [...]

Cannabis in Nevada became legal for recreational use effective January 1, 2017, having been legalized by ballot initiative in 2016. Medical marijuana use was legalized by ballot initiative in 2000 and has been available to licensed individuals in the state since shortly after that date. As laws regarding marijuana use become laxer, people are [...]

It is my opinion that year-round heartworm prevention does improve client compliance and the overall safety of the pet and the family. My experience as a clinical veterinarian is that dog owners who stopped giving heartworm preventative compounds over the winter either starting giving the preventative late or did not give it all the [...]

Heartworm disease in dogs is a silent killer that is often overlooked until it’s too late. This preventable condition starts with a mosquito bite and ends with either a long, expensive treatment or death. Symptoms may not appear until the worm reaches maturity (usually around 6 months). SIGNS OF HEARTWORMS IN A DOG [...]

Animal shelters must frequently make difficult decisions regarding the allocation of limited resources to appropriately care for the millions of dogs and cats that enter their doors annually. Lack of funds for staffing, expertise, and guidance on heartworm disease management in animal shelters creates significant confusion on how these facilities should appropriately address heartworm infection [...]