How much do you really know about HW?

[Lorrie]

I knew NOTHING!! Thankfully it is not common here in Ontario .. despite the hysteria the vet community has delivered over the past few years.

But having 4 HW positive dogs (all from the US) come thru the rescue certainly prompted me to learn some thing about it. And I found what I discovered very interesting.

Here is some of the presentation I put together for THS .. the numbers are couple years old now .. but still valid.

HEARTWORM 2002 Survey Facts

Problem: Heartworm infection has been reported in dogs in all 50 states. Of the dogs tested in 2001, at least 240,000 were positive for heartworms.
Causes: A June 2001 Gallup study found that about half the dogs in the U.S. were given a heartworm preventive. Of the dogs that were on prevention, the average number of monthly doses administered was half the number recommended by veterinarians.
1. Key Point: Fifty-five percent of dog owning households were on some form of heartworm preventive, down from a high of 66% in 1998
2. 151.5 million heartworm preventive doses were dispensed (prescribed) by veterinarians in 2001
3. Most veterinarians recommend year round prevention.
4. Of the dogs on prevention, the average doses dispensed was 5.4 per year
5. There is an average compliance gap of 5 months.
In January 2002, Merial (the makers of HEARTGARD® Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel) and HEARTGARD® (ivermectin) for Cats) partnered with the American Heartworm Society to survey veterinary clinics and determine the incidence of heartworm infection by state and county in the U.S. (*Incidence = number of new cases occurring during a certain time.)
In the survey, 18,000 veterinary clinics reported 244,000 positive heartworm tests in dogs and 3,095 in cats in 2001. Over 27 million dogs in the U.S. are not on a heartworm preventive and may not have been tested. Therefore, the incidence in the U.S. is likely much higher than indicated.


Top 10 Reporting

Heartworm States

# of Positive Dogs # of Positive Cats % of Clinics Reporting Per State
1. Texas 38,535 362 64%
2. Florida 29,749 743 78%
3. Louisiana 18,700 158 74%
4. North Carolina 17,338 200 79%
5. Georgia 13,896 133 64%
6. Mississippi 11,522 107 73%
7. Tennessee 10,324 39 92%
8. South Carolina 9,387 131 79%
9. Alabama 9,308 95 83%
10. Indiana 8,348 107 73%


Lorrie's Synopisos
So after being deposited by mosquitoe the HW's take upwards of 90 days to migrate thru the dogs skin and tissue - then they migrate to the heart as immature adults .. only mature adults mate and produce microfilaria .. which is what the filtration blood test looks for .. an occult test locates adult worms in the heart. Most vets do the occult test .. some will do both and it can be done from the same sample. The monthly preventatives kill the larvae left behind by the mosquitoe before they can develop into adults. The vets do an occult test in the spring .. looking for adult HW that might have developed from last summer .. if there are none .. then they can safely prescribe a preventative. That is why the vet's say it take 6 months for HW to show . . it take that long for them to mature and reach the heart. There are other more sensitive tests available as outlined below.

HEARTWORM DISEASE
Mosquitoes feeding upon an infected dog take up a number of these microfilariae with the blood meal. The freshly acquired microfilariae migrate from the digestive tract of the mosquito to the abdominal region where they undergo a transformation. Within 2 or 3 weeks they reach the infective stage. At this time the larvae are actually miniature adults that are small enough to live within a mosquito. Development in the mosquito is temperature dependent, requiring approximately two weeks of temperature at or above 80 degrees F. Below a threshold temperature of 57 degrees F, development cannot occur, and the cycle will be halted. As a result, transmission is limited to warm months, and duration of the transmission season varies geographically.
Next, they break into the body cavity of the mosquito and migrate to the mouthparts. By this time the mosquito is ready for its second blood meal. As the mosquito feeds upon its host, the infective larvae are deposited on the skin. The heartworm larvae undertake extensive migration through the tissues beneath the skin, which continues for some 60-90 days until they molt and become immature adults. The immature adult heartworms migrate to the right side of the dog's heart within a few days of their final molt, presumably carried by the venous circulation. Worms that enter hosts other than canines generally die within several days.
Final maturation and mating occur in the pulmonary arteries. The adult worms live in the right side of the heart and pulmonary arteries, where they may survive for up to seven years. Production of microfilaria by fertilized female worms begins approximately six and a half months after infection. Microfilaria are then released into the circulation, for a mosquito to ingest during a subsequent blood meal.

HEARTWORM DISEASE - Other Testing
The chief issue in the diagnosis of heartworm disease centers around the detection of heartworm infection. The following are a list of diagnostic methods that have been and are used in the detection of heartworms within the pet dog's body.

BECAUSE OF THE FIVE MONTH MINIMUM MIGRATION TIME OF THE LARVAL HEARTWORM AFTER INFECTION,
IT IS OF NO USE TO HEARTWORM TEST DOGS YOUNGER THAN FIVE MONTHS OF AGE. THESE PUPPIES ARE
TOO YOUNG TO BE INFECTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

DIRECT BLOOD SMEAR
While this method is a simple screening test, it is not recommended as a regular test method. In this test, a single drop of blood is examined under the microscope for the presence of live microfilariae. If a large number of microfilariae are present, chances are at least one will be seen seen swimming by. Of course, detection of heartworm larvae in this way require large numbers of larvae for detection (less than 20-50 microfilariae per ml of blood will not be detected). More subtle infections will be missed.
DIFIL TEST AND KNOTT'S TEST
These tests represent "concentration" methods for the detection of microfilariae so that more subtle infections can be detected. In these tests, a larger amount of blood is either centrifuged or filtered to concentrate any microfilariae present. When a microfilaria test is to be done, either of these would be appropriate. Nowadays, microfilaria testing is usually done in conjunction with antigen testing (see below).
DIPETALONEMA RECONDITUM: THE OTHER MICROFILARIA
Heartworm is not the only species of worm that has circulating microfilariae as a first stage larva. There is another parasite called Dipetalonema reconditum, which is transmitted by fleas, which may be picked up by the microfilaria tests. Subtle differences in the swimming characteristics, nose structure, and tail structure can be used to distinguish this harmless larva from the more serious heartworm microfilaria. Before immunotechnology, there was an element of diagnostic challenge when microfilaria were detected in the blood (was the nose the shape that would justify a harsh and possibly life-threatening treatment for heartworm infection or was it a harmless creature for which no treatment was needed?) The advent of antigen testing has made this distinction much easier to make.
ANTIGEN TESTING
Using genetic engineering, it has become possible to create extremely sensitive tests capable of detecting tiny pieces of adult heartworm skin circulating in the blood. In this way, very small numbers of adult worms can be detected, even single worm infections. This kind of testing has made it possible to detect infections in which no microfilariae are present: the so-called "Occult Infections." Most of these immunological tests are available as test kits which can be performed in the veterinarian's office while you wait.

There are many important reasons why a dog might be infected with adult heartworms yet no microfilariae can be detected:
* Single sex infections or single worm infections
Younger female worms tend to be resistant to the drugs used to clear adult worms. This means that after the first treatment with anti-heartworm medication, a group of young female worms will be left. If antigen testing is not performed, one could be misled into thinking that the infection had been completely cleared.
* Immunologic destruction of microfilariae
In the cat, the period in which microfilariae can be detected in the blood stream is extremely short as the immune system rapidly groups and clears these larval worms.
* The dog is taking heartworm prevention medication
Both Interceptor and Heartgard30 are able to kill circulating microfilariae (but not adult heartworms). If for some reason, a dog is not properly tested and has missed a dose of medication, it is possible for an infection to establish yet no microfilariae will be detected. People commonly ask why they must continue annual testing in animals that are on preventive medication; this is one reason.
Since Dipetalonema microfilariae can be mistaken for heartworm larvae and since microfilariae can be transferred to unborn puppies (but adult heartworms cannot), it is felt by many specialists that no microfilaria positive dog should be treated for heartworm without a positive antigen test.
ANTIBODY TESTING
Antigen tests have limited usefulness when it comes to infections involving only a few worms. One problem is that the antigens detected by antigen tests are unique to female worms. For most tests, at least three female worms are needed for the test to show a positive result. Animals infected with only male worms will test antigen negative. To get around these limitations, antibody tests have been developed to detect the host's immune response against the parasite. This kind of breakthrough has been especially important in testing for cats in whom infection with one or two worms is the usual situation. Antibody testing may be able to detect infection sooner than can antigen testing and infections involving only male worms can be readily detected.

Additonal

Side effects listed for heartworm preventative drugs are: vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, and weakness. These pills weaken your pet's immune system which recognizes the chemicals as poison. The body works hard to eliminate the toxins and major organs, like the liver and kidneys, are taxed. For this reason, the pet's body is not able to handle contact with the normal bacterial or viral substances in our world, so it gets sick more easily.

Herbs such as Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), Clove Flower Buds (Eugenia caryophyllata), Garlic (Allium sativum), Spearmint Herb (Mentha spicata), Turmeric Root (Curcuma longa), Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), and Wormwood (Artemisia annua) are examples of what can be used to formulate an effective preventative and as part of a treatment program.

To provide as much protection as possible from mosquitos, we use cedar mulch in the area where Bandit does his "business." We make sure there is no standing water for the mosquitoes to breed. Prior to leaving the house and again upon returning after play or "business," I spray Bandit with an essential oil spray which I make up and keep by the door. The mist is made of 1 cup of water with 4 drops of Tea Tree Oil and 4 drops of Lavender Oil. Shake before spraying. I use this on myself as a great bug repellant. Nice and safe with no worries of toxic chemicals on the skin.

Garlic Barrier is a natural mosquito barrier for your yard and garden with added benefits.



NOSODES FOR TREATMENT AND IMMUNIZATION

http://www.holisticvetpetcare.com/no...unizations.htm

What is a nosode?
Homeopathic remedies are prepared from any substance that in its original form can have a toxic effect or exert a chemical change on the body. A homeopathic tincture is an alcohol or water and alcohol solution of an animal, vegetable, or mineral compound. Soluble substances are prepared directly into tinctures; insoluble substances are first diluted with an inert substance such as lactose, triturated (ground), and then suspended in the solvent (water or water and alcohol). A nosode is an isolate of a disease organism that starts as a tincture and then is "potentized" or potentiated by making serial dilutions and then "succussed" (a specified type of shaking that adds kinetic energy to the dilutions). The final product is dried and pelleted for oral administration.