Spring has sprung and your dog can't wait to leap out the door to enjoy runs through off-leash parks, long walks through wooded areas in the countryside and trips to the cottage.
But the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association wants to remind people there is a downside to the warmer weather and increased time spent outdoors. Pet owners should ensure their pooches are protected from heartworm and Lyme disease.
"Unfortunately, this is the time of year that the parasites that affect our pets are also becoming active," says Dr. Leeanne Bargen, a veterinarian at Pet Vet in Steinbach.
Heartworm is a parasite transmitted by mosquitos. A mosquito bites a dog already infected with heartworm, picks up the infection and, in biting another dog, passes it on. The parasite then develops into worms that travel into the heart. Over time, the worms impair the function of the organ and can cause heart failure and disease.
"We are seeing more and more cases of heartworm," says Bargen. "Not every dog with this infection dies, but it certainly kills many dogs by causing cardiovascular disease. If the worm breaks off and enters the lung, it can cause sudden death."
Signs of the infection typically include an increased respiration rate, chronic cough, inability to exercise, decreased appetite, lethargy or abdominal distension.
Dogs with early stages and less severe heartworm infections can be successfully treated with injections, but prevention is the best and least expensive method of dealing with this disease.
To prevent heartworm, vets prescribe a monthly chewable or topical medication, starting 30 days after the first mosquitoes appear, and continuing monthly until 30 days after the last mosquitoes have died.
"We start heartworm prevention in Manitoba by June 1 and then give pills once a month for six months, ending Nov. 1," says Bargen.
The cost of a six-month supply of chewable pills is around $17 to $25 for a 4.5-kilogram dog and $50 to $65 for a 23- to 45-kg dog.
"In Southern Manitoba, including Winnipeg, preventive medicine is essential," says Bargen. "And heartworm is common enough in western Manitoba that it is worth taking preventative measures if you and your dog live in this region."
Dogs may also be at risk in the spring and summer for Lyme disease, which is transmitted by deer ticks, most commonly found in wooded areas, brush and fields with high weeds. When these ticks bite a dog to draw blood, they transmit bacteria that can cause Lyme disease.
"Not all exposure results in disease, but we are seeing cases," says Bargen.
Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, lameness and lethargy, and while the disease can be treated with antibiotics, some cases do not respond well to the medicine and the animal may die. Without treatment, Lyme disease causes problems in many parts of the dog's body, including the heart, kidneys, and joints.
"Lyme disease has been diagnosed throughout Southern Manitoba, especially the southeast," says Bargen. "The ticks can drop off of birds, so we have had dogs that have never left the city limits exposed to the disease."
Ticks have to latch on to a dog for 24 hours to transmit the organism that causes Lyme disease, so if your dog spends time outdoors you should check its coat regularly for ticks and brush it thoroughly.
"But the problem with deer ticks is that they are about the size of a sesame seed when not engorged with blood, so they can be hard to find," explains Bargen. "That is why some pet owners choose to use a topical preventative to keep ticks from latching on."
There are various collars and sprays available that repel ticks, so you should speak to your vet about prevention options if you feel your dog may be exposed. There is also a vaccine available that can be given if a dog is at very high risk of exposure.
"The vaccine is given on a case-by-case basis," says Dr. Bargen. "For example, a dog that spends all its time outdoors in a forest in Anola we might consider vaccinating."
cheryl.binning@freepress.mb.ca
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