Category: Health News
Created: 9/18/2008 2:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 9/18/2008
Heartworm is a parasite that affects dogs, cats and similar wild animal such as foxes and coyotes. It is carried by mosquito and has now become present in all the states of America. It can easily be prevented by either oral or topical medication or by injection. Anyone who has seen the infested hearts preserved by veterinary clinics will agree that prevention has got to be a good idea. There has, however, been a lot of publicity regarding an adverse heartworm med reaction which has allegedly been responsible for the death of hundreds of dogs.
If an animal is to become infected by heartworm, they face a long course of medication to kill the worms. During this time they are likely to be in considerable discomfort and will have to be kept very calm and inactive to prevent the dead worms from travelling through the body to the lungs, where they could prove fatal. The animal will have to be thoroughly investigated to establish whether there has been any damage to the heart. All this can be avoided if a preventative measure is taken. Although there is a risk of heartworm med reaction from the preventative drugs it is still the best course of action.
There are at least three reasons for this preventative medicine being the possible cause of these deaths:
It would seem that some deaths are allegedly due to the worm already being present when the dogs were injected with the drug. If the animal is already infected and this is not discovered by the veterinary surgeon, then it would seem that the drug can prove lethal. It is unclear as to whether, in such cases, the heartworm med reaction is due to a lack of labelling of the drug, a lack of education regarding the use of the drug or negligence on the part of the veterinary surgeon.
Another problem may be the preparing of the medication. It comes in a highly concentrated form and must be prepared and administered properly for it to be safe and effective. The consequences of untrained or inexperienced medical staff preparing the medication could be fatal.
The debate will continue and much more research and study will be undertaken until a definitive answer is known. Until such time, you are advised to talk to your veterinary surgeon about your specific requirements. It is always advisable to do your best to prevent heartworm as the problems that it can cause for your pet can be much more distressing than the chance of a heartworm med reaction.
Statistics show that the oral preparations give good results in preventing the worm and only carry a low risk of any heartworm med reaction. The average number of deaths for the three main oral preparations is just between 6 and 9 for a year. The topical medicine seems to carry a higher risk with an average of 36 linked deaths during a year but this is still low compared to the average number of deaths reported after use of the injection of Moxidectin. This has been responsible for an average of 138 deaths during a year and has been causing some considerable concern.
Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
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