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Vets advise South Bay dog owners to take precautions against heartworm
By Donna Littlejohn Staff Writer
Posted: 06/22/2010 06:50:49 PM PDT
South Bay dog owners know all about the usual hazards of summer: fleas, fireworks and shed fur.
But this summer could bring a new, unwelcome twist.
Heartworm - carried by mosquitos and traditionally rare in the southwest - is turning up in higher numbers among Los Angeles County dogs. The number of cases, while still quite small and mostly northeast of the South Bay, has prompted advisories from county public health veterinarians who suggest owners consider putting their pets on a simple monthly preventative medication.
"If we could wave a magic wand and have animals on this at no expense to people, that probably would be a good thing," said veterinarian Emily Beeler, a zoonosis veterinarian for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. "It's a judgement call."
It's hardly an epidemic.
Fewer than 25 cases were reported in 2009. But that's a significant spike from earlier years. Concerns that the disease could become more prevalent stem from data showing that up to 20 percent of the county coyote population could now be infected, the anticipation of a heavier-than-usual mosquito season, and what county officials say is a "dramatic" increase of a particular kind of mosquito known to be a more effective vector for the disease.
And at least one South Bay area clinic - Centinela Animal Hospital in Inglewood - saw four cases last month, said clinic veterinarian Richard Palmquist. Before that, he'd seen only three cases in his 30-year practice.
After an e-mail notice went out in March from Senior County Veterinarian Karen Ehnert, Palmquist began recommending that his clients have their dogs tested and then started on the monthly heartworm prevention pill.
"Honestly, we've had false alarm scares about this over the last two decades, but when the county tells us that 20 percent of the coyote population surveyed was infected, that's not a small number," Palmquist said.
The potentially fatal condition is caused by parasitic worms that live in the arteries of the lungs - and sometimes in the right side of the heart - of dogs, cats, wolves, foxes, coyotes, ferrets and sea lions. It's rare in humans, and feline heartworm is not being seen locally as much as the canine variety.
While the disease is treatable in its early stages, once the worms begin to multiply dogs experience symptoms such as a mild but persistent cough, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss. Eventually it can lead to heart failure and organ damage.
Beeler said studies continue to weigh the trends. Los Angeles County veterinarians have been required to report cases since 2008.
"Only recently have we even been tracking heartworm, so we don't have enough data to know if it's dramatically increasing," Beeler said, noting that there also is up to a six-month lag time after a dog is infected to test positive. "... (But) we do have some legitimate data to suggest that it could be increasing."
The disease has been found in virtually all states but is most prevalent in the southeast United States where many dog owners have long kept their pets on the heartworm prevention medicine all year.
But public health veterinarians are concerned that it could spread and take root elsewhere.
An estimated 90 percent of the dogs rescued from Hurricane Katrina - dogs that were sent out to various locations throughout the country by animal rescue groups - were found to be infected with heartworm, Beeler said.
Most cases in California have been found north of Los Angeles County. And of the cases found within the county, most of those are north of the South Bay - in the San Gabriel Valley and other foothill regions.
But local vets are being advised to watch the situation closely.
"It could be out there, but we're not seeing it," said veterinarian Steve Liebl of the Hermosa Animal Hospital in Hermosa Beach. "But it's something for us to be on the alert for."
Liebl has only seen three cases of heartworm in his 29 years at the clinic, all in dogs from outside the area - Texas, Georgia and Baja California.
So far, he said, heartworm doesn't seem to be endemic in the Hermosa Beach area, though that could change.
"If my clients are going to be traveling to an area where it's endemic, then they get on the prevention," he said.
Veterinarian Cassie Jones of Point Vicente Animal Hospital in Rancho Palos Verdes hasn't seen any heartworm cases in her practice.
With this year's heavy rainfall possibly bringing more mosquitos, however, she said she wishes more of her clients had their dogs on the prevention medication as a precaution.
A dog that lived next door to her sister in Texas recently died of heartworm.
"We really don't see it very much around here," Jones said, but added that it's a disease that's easy - and relatively affordable - to prevent.
"We recommend (the heartworm prevention pill) for clients who are traveling with their dogs, even just out to Palm Springs, Idyllwild, Yosemite, Mammoth or Santa Cruz," Jones said.
Dogs must be tested for heartworm disease before being put on the prevention pills, which are marketed under a variety of brand names include Interceptor and Heartgard. The tests cost around $50 with the monthly prevention pills, depending on the weight of the dog, running somewhere under $100 a year.
But that's cheaper - and safer - than treating the disease once it appears. Treatments can run into the thousands of dollars and require injections of arsenic, a highly toxic substance, Palmquist said.
"To me it's a no-brainer," Palmquist said. "I'm a holistic doctor and I don't like drugs. But after hearing from the county, my dog was on (the prevention) within the month."
While there are side effects to all drugs, the heartworm prevention pill is considered very safe for most pets, veterinarians said. And it has the added benefit of also preventing other nasty intestinal parasites in dogs that can be transmitted to humans through dog feces left in parks and in other public areas - roundworm, whipworm and hookworm.
Beeler encouraged residents to practice mosquito control around their properties.
"We also have (mosquito-carried) West Nile virus, she said. "So another very strong recommendation from a public health standpoint is that people check their properties twice a week. Even a little water retained in a flower pot can help breed mosquitos."
donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com
On the web
www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/heartworm.htm
www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm.html
http://www.dailybreeze.com/lifeandculture/ci_15352645
By Donna Littlejohn Staff Writer
Posted: 06/22/2010 06:50:49 PM PDT
South Bay dog owners know all about the usual hazards of summer: fleas, fireworks and shed fur.
But this summer could bring a new, unwelcome twist.
Heartworm - carried by mosquitos and traditionally rare in the southwest - is turning up in higher numbers among Los Angeles County dogs. The number of cases, while still quite small and mostly northeast of the South Bay, has prompted advisories from county public health veterinarians who suggest owners consider putting their pets on a simple monthly preventative medication.
"If we could wave a magic wand and have animals on this at no expense to people, that probably would be a good thing," said veterinarian Emily Beeler, a zoonosis veterinarian for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. "It's a judgement call."
It's hardly an epidemic.
Fewer than 25 cases were reported in 2009. But that's a significant spike from earlier years. Concerns that the disease could become more prevalent stem from data showing that up to 20 percent of the county coyote population could now be infected, the anticipation of a heavier-than-usual mosquito season, and what county officials say is a "dramatic" increase of a particular kind of mosquito known to be a more effective vector for the disease.
And at least one South Bay area clinic - Centinela Animal Hospital in Inglewood - saw four cases last month, said clinic veterinarian Richard Palmquist. Before that, he'd seen only three cases in his 30-year practice.
After an e-mail notice went out in March from Senior County Veterinarian Karen Ehnert, Palmquist began recommending that his clients have their dogs tested and then started on the monthly heartworm prevention pill.
"Honestly, we've had false alarm scares about this over the last two decades, but when the county tells us that 20 percent of the coyote population surveyed was infected, that's not a small number," Palmquist said.
The potentially fatal condition is caused by parasitic worms that live in the arteries of the lungs - and sometimes in the right side of the heart - of dogs, cats, wolves, foxes, coyotes, ferrets and sea lions. It's rare in humans, and feline heartworm is not being seen locally as much as the canine variety.
While the disease is treatable in its early stages, once the worms begin to multiply dogs experience symptoms such as a mild but persistent cough, fatigue, loss of appetite and weight loss. Eventually it can lead to heart failure and organ damage.
Beeler said studies continue to weigh the trends. Los Angeles County veterinarians have been required to report cases since 2008.
"Only recently have we even been tracking heartworm, so we don't have enough data to know if it's dramatically increasing," Beeler said, noting that there also is up to a six-month lag time after a dog is infected to test positive. "... (But) we do have some legitimate data to suggest that it could be increasing."
The disease has been found in virtually all states but is most prevalent in the southeast United States where many dog owners have long kept their pets on the heartworm prevention medicine all year.
But public health veterinarians are concerned that it could spread and take root elsewhere.
An estimated 90 percent of the dogs rescued from Hurricane Katrina - dogs that were sent out to various locations throughout the country by animal rescue groups - were found to be infected with heartworm, Beeler said.
Most cases in California have been found north of Los Angeles County. And of the cases found within the county, most of those are north of the South Bay - in the San Gabriel Valley and other foothill regions.
But local vets are being advised to watch the situation closely.
"It could be out there, but we're not seeing it," said veterinarian Steve Liebl of the Hermosa Animal Hospital in Hermosa Beach. "But it's something for us to be on the alert for."
Liebl has only seen three cases of heartworm in his 29 years at the clinic, all in dogs from outside the area - Texas, Georgia and Baja California.
So far, he said, heartworm doesn't seem to be endemic in the Hermosa Beach area, though that could change.
"If my clients are going to be traveling to an area where it's endemic, then they get on the prevention," he said.
Veterinarian Cassie Jones of Point Vicente Animal Hospital in Rancho Palos Verdes hasn't seen any heartworm cases in her practice.
With this year's heavy rainfall possibly bringing more mosquitos, however, she said she wishes more of her clients had their dogs on the prevention medication as a precaution.
A dog that lived next door to her sister in Texas recently died of heartworm.
"We really don't see it very much around here," Jones said, but added that it's a disease that's easy - and relatively affordable - to prevent.
"We recommend (the heartworm prevention pill) for clients who are traveling with their dogs, even just out to Palm Springs, Idyllwild, Yosemite, Mammoth or Santa Cruz," Jones said.
Dogs must be tested for heartworm disease before being put on the prevention pills, which are marketed under a variety of brand names include Interceptor and Heartgard. The tests cost around $50 with the monthly prevention pills, depending on the weight of the dog, running somewhere under $100 a year.
But that's cheaper - and safer - than treating the disease once it appears. Treatments can run into the thousands of dollars and require injections of arsenic, a highly toxic substance, Palmquist said.
"To me it's a no-brainer," Palmquist said. "I'm a holistic doctor and I don't like drugs. But after hearing from the county, my dog was on (the prevention) within the month."
While there are side effects to all drugs, the heartworm prevention pill is considered very safe for most pets, veterinarians said. And it has the added benefit of also preventing other nasty intestinal parasites in dogs that can be transmitted to humans through dog feces left in parks and in other public areas - roundworm, whipworm and hookworm.
Beeler encouraged residents to practice mosquito control around their properties.
"We also have (mosquito-carried) West Nile virus, she said. "So another very strong recommendation from a public health standpoint is that people check their properties twice a week. Even a little water retained in a flower pot can help breed mosquitos."
donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com
On the web
www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/heartworm.htm
www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm.html
http://www.dailybreeze.com/lifeandculture/ci_15352645