Mrs. Jones, in the clinic for her cat Wilson’s semiannual examination, asked, “Dr. Randolph, when our dog Phred missed a dose of heartworm preventive last year, he had to have a heartworm test before he could take his preventive again. However, Wilson has been on heartworm preventive for all of his five years of life, [...]
Repeatedly we have made the point that heartworm preventives are monthly medications. They are not every 33 days medications. They are not every 34 days medications. They are not every six weeks medications! Periodically, then, they question comes up, “Should I adjust my heartworm preventive administration for February?” No. If you normally give your heartworm [...]
There is no more important role of your veterinarian than that of educator. Yes, we can fix things, and yes, when there is an emergency we have to remember our ABCs: Airway, Breathing, Cardiopulmonary. After the dust settles and the feathers are no longer flying, it is crucial that we sit down with clients [...]
Reader “SJaffe” writes to us, “Hi, Dr. Randolph, I foster a Cocker spaniel who is 12 years old. She is heartworm-positive and it’s just breaking my heart. I would love to do everything I possibly can do help her get through this. She doesn’t really have a cough but she breathes very, very deeply (with [...]
How does such a thing happen? This little dog came to me Monday, having never seen a veterinarian in her life. And she’s 10 years old. And her fecal flotation is negative for intestinal parasites. And her heartworm test is negative. It seems so amazing as to be impossible, but it’s true. Granted, she will [...]
Sammi Jo, RAHT*, writes from Central Alberta, Canada, “Hey Dr. Randolph! So I had a question today from a client at the clinic I work at, and it had to do with Revolution (selamectin) Topical Dewormer. A client who was told by her breeder (Australian shepherd) that Revolution or anything of the avermectin family was toxic [...]
Editor’s Note: As of December, 2011, Immiticide was again available through Merial’s European source. Recently, Merial announced that the only FDA-approved heartworm treatment medication, Immiticide, had become completely unavailable. Previously, we received word from Merial that the medication was in short supply. Unfortunately, efforts to restart manufacture have failed. What does that mean for you [...]
There is a scenario that has begun to repeat itself rather frequently of late. “I need to pick up more heartworm preventive for “Fluffy’. She missed one (or more) months and I need to get her restarted.” To which our staff responds, “I understand, Mrs. Smith. Because Fluffy may have become infected with heartworms during [...]
Editor’s Note: As of December, 2011, Immiticide was again available through Merial’s European source. In April, 2011, we reported that Immiticide, the only approved adult heartworm-killing medication in the United States, was in short supply. For months Immiticide has been rationed by the manufacturer, Merial. During this time Merial has found alternative sources for ingredients [...]
This is Suzy Q and her owner. Suzy Q has heartworms. As discussed in a first and second post on the topic, we know that dogs who have never been on a heartworm preventive, and dogs who have missed one or more doses of their preventive are at greater risk for developing heartworm disease at [...]
Janet writes with an easy question, “Do you have any information on how well Trifexis works -side effects, effectiveness, etc.?”Janet, our acceptance of Trifexis Heartworm Preventive/flea control was made easy by the fact that it consists of two ingredients with long histories of safety and effectiveness. Milbemycin oxime, the active ingredient in Interceptor Heartworm Preventive, [...]
Tuesday night was both fun and educational. The monthly meeting of our regional veterinarian’s group, South Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association, met in Biloxi, MS, at Mary Mahoney’s restaurant. The presentation was delivered by my Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Internal Medicine professor, Dr. Ray Dillon. He is also board-certified by the American College of [...]
“OK, if it’s important, we’ll go ahead and schedule,” said Griffin’s dad. There are very few things your pet’s doctor will recommend that aren’t “important.” In the present case we were calling our client after failing to obtain a response to two mailed reminders and several phone calls. At Griffin’s last visit, seven months ago, [...]
Karen writes: My 8 yr old indoor Siamese has had a tiny, tiny cough only in the mornings the past six months. In the morning, she just gives out a tiny one-time-cough and it doesn’t bother her at all. Would heartworm produce more coughing throughout the day? I have taken her to the veterinarian twice [...]
Dr. Dwight Bowman is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. He received his Masters and PhD degrees from Tulane University in Parasitology. He is also a traveling speaker with Heartworm University, an outreach educational program of the American Heartworm Society. In this month’s Clinician’s Update, [...]
Last night we were blessed to have Dr. James Crisman, of Pfizer Animal Health, come to our South Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association (SMVMA) to speak on the topic of heartworms. Now, you might well think that there is nothing new to know about a parasite that has been recognized for well over one hundred years. Not [...]
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