Understanding Heartworms

With mosquito season upon us, it’s time to think about heartworm disease. Transmitted through mosquito bites, this is a serious parasitic disease that can do major damage to your pet’s heart and other internal organs. Most veterinarians now recommend that you administer heartworm preventatives all year long. However, these toxic medications aren’t benign and, scientifically, they are not necessary for more than a few months per year in our area. With a better understanding of the disease, how it is transmitted and prevention options, you will be able to make an educated, healthier choice for your pet.

Fortunately for our pets, heartworm is not so easy to contact in the Northeast. However, with rescue groups bringing so many dogs from the South to this area now, it has become more prevalent. Per “The Heartworm Handbook” by Melinda Miller, Hospital Director of Smith Ridge Veterinary Center, the mere presence of mosquitoes isn’t enough for a pet to be infected with the parasite. Heartworms have a very complex lifecycle that requires specific species of mosquito and precise timing as the mosquito has to have bitten previously infected animals in order for it to pick up and transmit larvae. Even more important: the larvae picked up by the mosquito can’t mature inside the mosquito and be infective to other animals until there are at least 8 to 14 continuous days of temperatures above 57 degrees day and night.

Since our temperatures in the Northeast limit the potential for exposure to heartworm, is it imperative to treat your pets every month? Heartguard and other treatments are not harmless. They are systemic pesticides. To eliminate unnecessary doses of toxic chemicals for your pet, Smith Ridge Veterinary Center, an integrative veterinary practice in South Salem, NY, recommends the following protocol:

In May of each year: run a SNAP test. If the test is clear, begin administering a heartworm preventative such as Heartgard or Interceptor. These preventatives are proven by research to be 100% effective when given every 45 days. The drug manufacturers convinced the FDA that the public couldn’t remember to administer the preventatives unless it was on a 30 day schedule, despite the fact that they are effective for 45 days (and beyond). That’s the only reason they are labeled for 30 day use. So, as long as you fully comply with the schedule below, the Smith Ridge preventative recommendation for this area is:

June 1 – dose 1 (will kill infection that began between April 15 and May 31)
July 15 – dose 2 (will kill infection that began between June 1 and July 15)
August 31 – dose 3 (will kill infection that began between July 16 and Aug. 31)
October 15 – dose 4 (will kill infection that began between Sept. 1 and Oct. 15)

As you can see above, heartworm preventatives don’t actually prevent infection, they just prevent larvae from maturing into adult worms. It’s the adults that cause harm. These drugs “reach back” to kill off any larvae that may be present. If there is no infection present, your pet is getting toxic chemicals it doesn’t need. The start date of June 1 is actually very conservative as typical April and May temperatures aren’t usually above the 57 degree mark for 8 to 14 days on a 24 hour, continuous basis. And infective transmission won’t occur until that happens. While the use of these toxic chemicals may be a necessary evil, the above schedule at least allows you to minimize your pet’s exposure to them.

Important Note: if you travel with your pet to areas of the country where there are warmer temperatures during the year, this protocol must be adjusted.

There are pet owners who want to eliminate the use of preventatives completely. That can be done, though it does require using 2 different tests and testing twice during the year – and there is still some risk. We recommend you work with a veterinary practice like Smith Ridge if you want to avoid administering preventatives completely.

Think through your options and choose wisely for your pet.

Understanding Vaccines

Spring is here and all of the postcards from your veterinarian start showing up with vaccine reminders. As your pet’s advocate it is important for you to understand vaccines. There is an incredible amount of information and research about vaccines and their side effects. Once considered harmless, benign, and the right thing to do for our pets every year, now we are aware of just the opposite. There is great research that supports limiting vaccines with new guidelines designed to protect our animal companions. Not all veterinarians will agree with limiting vaccines. It is difficult for people to change, even in the face of good information and research. Profit and established beliefs can get in the way of what is best for pets.

Vaccine reactions do occur and are not as uncommon as your veterinarian might lead you to believe. Here is a partial list of vaccine reactions:
Fever, diarrhea, vomiting
Anaphylactic reactions such as: swellings, respiratory distress, hives
Lethargy
Vaccine site swellings, abscesses, granulomas
Autoimmune diseases
Vaccine site cancers
Seizures
Post vaccine induced encephalitis and/or meningitis
Paralysis
Lymphoma
Deterioration of existing illnesses either known or unknown at the time of
the vaccinating.

How do you sort through all the information about what vaccines are really necessary? It really is fairly straight forward. As determined by the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are three core vaccines:
Distemper
Parvo virus
Rabies

The following vaccines are considered non core vaccines by the American Veterinary Medical Associations. The incidence of the diseases is generally low, and some of these are treatable diseases. The Lyme vaccine is highly controversial. Several are generally not protective or only offer a limited amount of protection for only a few strains of the disease.

Non Core Vaccines:
Leptospirosis
Adenovirus
Para
Lyme
Giardia
Corona
Bordetella


Vaccine Guidelines
• Only vaccinate a HEALTHY pet. Never vaccinate a pet when they are about to undergo surgery. Never vaccinate a pet that is fighting cancer. Never vaccinate a pet that is still recovering from an illness or surgery. Any pet with allergies should be considered compromised and vaccinating is not advisable.
• Consider the age of the pet – vaccines are especially hard on senior animals.
• What is your pet’s previous medical and vaccine history?
• Consider your lifestyle and the possibility of your pet’s exposure to disease.

There is no doubt that modern vaccine technology has improved the quality of pet’s lives. Today, with new research and information, the old approach of annual vaccines needs to be questioned and new regimens that offer safe and effective alternatives, needs to be adopted. For many veterinarians, annual vaccinations have been the main reason their clients bring their pets into the practice. Adopting more “wellness visit” programs could take the emphasis off over vaccination; and contribute to our pet’s living longer, healthier lives.

The following link offers an adjusted, minimal vaccine schedule:

http://www.doglogic.com/Dr.Dodd-VaccineSchedule2005.doc

New Years Resolutions for Pets

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Pets

Is there anyone out there who is the perfect pet owner? There are always things that can be done to improve our animal companion’s lives. Perfection may not be possible, but there are certainly things to do that will help your pets. Take time to reflect about the important role pets play in your family’s lives. What can you do to make your animal companions happier and healthier? These simple resolutions can add years to your pet’s lives.

Here is our list of New Year’s Resolutions for your pets:
• I resolve to feed the healthiest food possible to my pets. Pet Pantry Warehouse offers a wide variety of quality foods with a range of pricing. Come in and speak with our trained staff about your choices. If you’ve been feeding the same food for over a year, it’s time to switch!
• I resolve to take walks with my dog every day – rain or shine, snow or ice. Your dog will never say “no” to a walk. Dogs crave new scents and sounds so mix it up everyday – explore new routes and find new dog-friendly parks.
• I resolve to learn more about vaccines so I can make better, educated decisions when faced with the “Vaccine Reminder” postcards from the vet.
• I resolve to teach my dog and my cat new tricks. Mental stimulation is so important for your pets. Search online for easy pet tricks. Youtube is loaded with videos of fun tricks, all being taught motivationally. Cats are as trainable as dogs with reward-based training techniques.
• I resolve to play with my pets. Dogs love toys. Pick up all the toys around the house and introduce something new or different each day. Get your cat up and moving. There are so many good interactive cat toys that will put your cat into “hunting” mode.

2011 is going to be a great year. Enjoy and appreciate your pets all year.