Experts stop short of calling it an epidemic, but the newly released results of a 2007 U.S.-wide survey indicate that the number of heartworm cases is rising. As a result, it's also likely that more pets are dying of the disease. The tragedy is, heartworm disease in dogs, cats and ferrets is totally preventable.
To enhance awareness, the American Heartworm Society and Merial (manufacturer of a heartworm preventative) have kicked off a campaign called April as Heartworm Awareness Month.
The goal is to help veterinarians educate the public about the potentially deadly disease.
The explanations for the increase in heartworm vary, but it seems that compliance - actually administering the preventative medication - is the biggest problem, according to Sheldon Rubin, president of the American Heartworm Society.
According to a second survey, made public in March, of about 1,000 dog owners, 35 per cent who took their dogs to a veterinarian annually failed to give the pets a preventative.
Many people mean well, says Rubin, but forget to give the medication. "I can't tell you how often I prescribe the monthly preventative, then a year later the client says, 'I can put off buying more because I have three or four doses left.' Well, how can that be if they're using it each month?" he asked.
Another explanation for the erratic use of heartworm preventative may be the economy.
"Using a monthly product every other month isn't really saving money; instead, it's taking a chance with your pet's life," Rubin says. "A couple of Starbucks a month is probably less than the cost of protecting your best friend by using the monthly products as directed." Rubin calls another problem the "it won't happen to me syndrome."
Most heartworm preventatives are chewable or topicals applied between a pet's shoulder blades each month. There's another option that works for six months at a time: ProHeart 6. A veterinary visit is required to use ProHeart 6 because it's injected, like a vaccine.
Learn more about heartworm at: www.heartwormsociety.org.