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Dog Owners Urged To Check For Heartworm

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - If you're a dog owner, chances are your veterinarian has recommended that you put your pet on heartworm medicine.

It's a deadly disease that can be prevented, but there's now a concern that some strains may be too strong for the leading medication.

"It's heartbreaking to lose your animal, especially to something that you could have prevented," Joanne Zohas said.

Zohas lost her first dog to a heartworm infection.

"I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye," Zohas said.

"So, these are worms that live in the heart, fill up the heart, and that can lead to heart failure. So, it's a very serious disease in animals," Dr. Mike Hutchinson said.

Dr. Hutchinson, from Animal General in Cranberry Townshp, said it's not noticeable at first, but decline is swift and sudden.

"About six months to get to the adult stage once they're infected by being bit by a mosquito. That's how's it's transmitted from one dog to another. And once they develop it, it might take two to three years to develop heart failure," Dr. Hutchinson said.

Products like Heartgard Plus are recommended to fight heartworm.

"We've been using these. None of these expects them to work forever. What I do like is that these companies stand behind it, so if I treated your dog and dispensed Heartgard and your dog developed heartworm, the company would pay to treat your dog," Dr. Hutchinson said.

It's not uncommon for medications, human or otherwise, to lose effectiveness over time.

After Hurricane Katrina, displaced pets with a potentially resistant strain of heartworm were being moved north.

"When you have rescue organizations sending dogs all over the country because they're trying to find homes, that could spread resistant heartworm throughout the country," Dr. Hutchinson said.

Thurman is one of the many dogs up for adoption at Animal Friends. Anytime you adopt a dog from a shelter, they're going to go through a litany of tests, including one for heartworm.

In the past, vets suggested you test your dog for heartworm every two years. The process is changing, and Dr. Hutchinson thinks you should do it more often.

"And so we're recommending now, check these dogs every year. Even if they're on monthly control, we want to check them every month to make sure they're not developing some kind of resistant strain," Dr. Hutchinson said.

While he said he's seen but a single case of resistant heartworm in his decades as a vet, he urges pet owners to consider a monthly regime now just to be safe.

"None of us believes these products work in every single case. But, we're always on the lookout and very vigilant looking for maybe some resistant strain. We know they're going to come eventually," Dr. Hutchinson said.

The company that makes Heartgard Plus is currently under fire from a former scientist.

The ex-employee is suing Merial, claiming the company suppressed evidence that said Heartgard Plus wasn't as effective as it claimed.

A Merial spokesperson said the company vigorously denies those allegations and said Heartgard Plus is safe and effective for dogs.

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