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What is heartworm?

Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) is a fairly large worm that grows up to 14 inches long. In adulthood, heartworm lives in the heart and pulmonary arteries of an infected dog. Dogs acquire this infection through mosquito bites as mosquitoes readily pick up larval heartworms from infected dogs and carry them to other dogs. Some geographic areas have severe heartworm problems while others have virtually none. In order for the parasite to establish itself in an area, the following conditions must be met:

• Types of mosquitoes capable of carrying larval heartworms must be present
• The weather must e warm enough to allow heartworm larval development within the mosquito
• There must be infected dogs or coyotes in the area
• There must be vulnerable host dogs in the area

When these conditions come together, an area becomes endemic for heartworm disease.

Let’s Follow the Worm’s Life Cycle!

Adult

Blood going to the lung to pick up oxygen is received first by the right atrium of the heart, then sent to the right ventricle (the pumping chamber) and then sent out to the lung via the pulmonary arteries.

The adult heartworm is fairly large, several inches in length, and it prefers to live, not in the heart, but in the pulmonary arteries. It swims into a cozy tubular artery, where it is massaged and nourished by the blood coursing past it. In the pulmonary arteries of an infected dog, the worm’s presence generates a strong inflammatory response and a tendency for blood to inappropriately clot. If enough worms are present, the heart must work extra hard to pump blood through the plugged up arteries.

If the worm infection is a heavy one (over 25 worms for a 40lb dog), the worms begin to back up into the heart’s right ventricle (the chamber which pumps blood through the lung). The worms actually take up a significant amount of space withing the heart, space that could have been taken up by blood. With less blood going through the heart, there is less blood being pumped out to the lung.

When over 50 worms are in the ventricle, it is completely full and the atrium, the chamber receiving blood from the rest of the body begins to fill with worms.

When there are over 100 worms, the entire right side of the heart is filled with worms and there is very little room for any blood to be pumped. This drastic phenomenon is call “Caval Syndrome” and most dogs to not survive it.

Mircofilariae (First Stage Larval)

When adult male and female worms are there, mating begins to occur. Heartworms do not lay eggs like other worm parasites; instead they give live birth and the baby worms are called microfilariae. Microfilariae are released into the circulatory system in hope that they will be slurped up by a mosquito taking a blood meal and carried to a new host. Microfilariae may live up to two years within the host dog in whom they were born. If, after this period, a mosquito has not picked them up, they die of old age. Microfilariae may also be transmitted across the placental barrier to unborn puppies if the mother is infected with heartworm. It is important to realize that such puppies will not develop adult heartworms or heartworm disease from these microfilariae; in order for a heartworm to reach adulthood, it must be passed through a mosquito.

Parasitic worms have five larval stages and are termed L1, L2, L3, etc. Heartworm microfilariae are first stage larvae, L1s.

Inside the Mosquito

Let us continue to follow the young heartworm’s development inside the mosquito who has taken it in with a blood meal. Within the mosquito’s body, the microfilariae will develop to L2’s and finally to L3’s, the stage capable of infecting a new dog. How long this takes depends on the environmental conditions. In general, it takes a few weeks. A minimum environmental temperature of 57 degrees Fahrenheit is required throughout this period. The process goes faster in warmer weather but if the temperature drops below 57 degrees, the mosquitoes will die and no heartworm can be transmitted.

Infecting a New Dog

When a dog is bitten by an infected mosquito, the L3 is not deposited directly into the dog’s bloodstream. Instead, it is deposited in a tiny drop of mosquito spit adjacent to the mosquito bite. For transmission to occur, there must be adequate humidity to prevent evaporation of this blood droplet before the L3’s can swim through the mosquito bite and into the new host.

Once safely inside the new host, the L3 will spend the next week or two developing into an L4 within the host’s skin. The L4 will live in the skin for three months or so until it develops to the L5 stage and is ready to enter the host’s circulatory system. The L5, which is actually a young adult, migrates to the heart and out into the pulmonary arteries (if there is room) where it will mate, approximately 5-7 months after first entering the new host.

FOR THE MONTH OF MAY WE ARE OFFERING 15% OFF HEARTWORM PREVENTION PRODUCTS!!

Note: information taken from Veterinary Partner

Fleas! Eek!
Fleas are insects that form the order Siphonaptera. They are wingless, with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. Fleas are external parasites living off the blood of mammals and birds.
Fleas are about 1.5 to 3.3mm long, agile, usually dark colored, with tube-like mouth parts adapted to feeding on the blood of their hosts. Their legs are long, the hind pair will adapted for jumping; a flea can jump vertically up to 7in and horizontally up to 13in, making the flea one of the best jumpers of all known animals (relative to body size). If humans had the jumping power of a flea, a 6ft person could make a jump 295ft long and 160ft high!
Atypical of other insects, fleas do not possess compound eyes but instead have simple eyes with a single biconvex lens. Their eyes are known as “eyespots’. Their bodies are laterally compresses, permitting easy movement through the hairs or feathers on the host’s body. The tough body is able to withstand great pressure, likely an adaptation to survive attempts to eliminate them by mashing or scratching. Even hard squeezing between the fingers is normally insufficient to kill a flea.
Fleas go through 4 lifecycles, egg, larva, pupa and adult. Adult fleas must feed on blood before they can become capable of reproduction. Flea populations are distributed with about 50% eggs, 35% larva, 10% pupa and 5% adults.
Eggs
The fleas life cycle begins when the female lays eggs after feeding. Eggs are laid in batches of up to 20 or so, usually on the host itself, which means that the eggs can easily roll onto the ground. Because if this, areas where the host rests and sleeps become one of the primary habibtats of eggs and developing fleas. Eggs take around 2 days to 2 weeks to hatch.
Larvae
Flea larvae emerge from the eggs to feed on any available organic material such as dead insects, feces, conspecific eggs and vegetable matter. They are blind and avoid sunlight, keeping to dark places such as sand, cracks and crevices, and bedding.
Pupae
Given an adequate supply of feed, larvae pupate and weave silken cocoons within 1-2 weeks after 3 larval stages. After another week or two, the adult fleas are fully developed and ready to emerge. They may remain resting during this period until they receive a signal that a host is near-vibrations, heat, and carbon dioxide are all stimuli indicating the probable presence of a host.
Adults
Once the flea reaches adulthood, its primary goal is to find blood and then to reproduce. Its total life span can be as long as one and one-half years in ideal conditions. Female fleas can lay 5000 or mores eggs over their life, allowing for phenomenal growth rates. Generally speaking, an adult flea only lives for 2-3 months. Optimum temperatures for the flea’s life cycle are 21 C – 30 C and 70% humidity.
Now that you are itchy all over we’d like to let you know that for the month of April we are offering a 15% discount on Advantage topical flea control!

We will sometimes get inquiries regarding anesthetic-free dental cleanings. Do we offer it? Why does my pet have to have a full general anesthetic? Are dental xrays really necessary?

As we all know, all dental procedures require a certain level of pressure on the teeth and gums and may cause pain. When we go to the dentist, we understand that what is happening is a necessary part of the procedure. Animals do not. Therefore anesthesia is essential for providing our furry friends the most comfortable teeth cleaning experience.

Xrays

If you think of a tooth like an iceberg you will understand that what you see on the surface of the gum is not the entire story. The buildup of tartar goes well under the gumline and could potentially cause issues that cannot be seen without an xray. Unfortunately, pets need to be absolutely still while we do the xray. Our staff cannot stay to hold them due to radiation safely procedures.

Probing

When periodontal disease sets in, tissue and bone around the tooth start to deteriorate allowing bacteria to grow and pockets to form. We check for this by probing below the gumline. When awake this could cause discomfort and pain to your pet making it impossible to perform this procedure while awake. If the disease has progressed to the point that the tooth needs to be extracted then it is absolutely necessary to anesthetize.

Scaling/Polishing

Just as in humans, we scale and polish your pet’s teeth. At a human dentist, we keep our mouths open for the hygienist to perform this procedure and sometimes it is painful at times. Imagine your dog or cat laying on it’s back keeping it’s mouth open for the entire time? That would make our jobs a whole lot easier!

Anesthetic is not without it’s risks but we take every step to ensure we are providing your pet with the latest, safest anesthetic protocols available. This includes pre-anesthetic blood testing, IV fluids, monitoring with high-tech computer equipment and a staff member present at all times during and after the procedure to ensure proper after care. If there are extractions we provide your pet with “freezing” at the extraction site plus anti-inflammatory medication for pain.

February is dental month at the Richmond Animal Hospital! Please book your pet’s cleaning today and enjoy a special discount as well as specials on dental diets and products.

Happy New Year to you and your fur-friends!

Did you know that senior pets often will not show signs of illness until the illness has progressed significantly? Has your faithful companion been slowing down recently? Maybe not so interested in food as before? Losing a little bit of weight?

These can all be signs of illness in aging pets and are not signs of “normal aging” or “getting old”. The sooner that certain age related conditions can be detected the better we can treat them and the more time you can have with your beloved friend. Pets are considered to be senior at the age of 7 and it is recommended to have them checked twice yearly after they reach this age. We can diagnose many age related changes with an exam, blood testing and/or xrays and can often treat early issues with diet change, supplements and/or medication.

For the month of January we are offering all senior pets that come in for vaccines and/or wellness check ups a Senior Pet Wellness Package! This first package includes a full physical exam, geriatric blood testing, urinalysis, and an ECG! Package number two includes all that AND xrays!

Please call our office today to set up your Senior Pet Wellness appointment!

Spaying and neutering your pet isn’t only about helping control animal over-population, it’s also about keeping your pet healthy.  A recent University of Georgia study report revealed a significant finding related to the lifespans of dogs that have been spayed or neutered versus dogs that were still intact (not spayed or neutered).

After scrutinizing 40,139 veterinary death records from a 20-year period, it was determined that:

The average age of spayed or neutered dogs was 9.4 years.

The average age of still-intact dogs was 7.9 years.

Conclusion: spaying or neutering could possibly add 1.5 years to a dog’s life.

While this is a limited study involving dogs seen at teaching veterinary hospitals versus regular veterinary practices, it does add to the many reasons pet owners should seriously consider spaying or neutering their dogs.

Proven spay/neuter benefits include:

SPAY:

Preventing “heat” or estrus.

Eliminating your dog’s urge to escape and find a mate during heat (this can be dangerous).

Eliminating your dog’s hormone fluctuations that cause false pregnancy.

Preventing pyometra, a serious uterine infection.

Preventing breast cancer, especially if your dog is spayed before the first “heat” (This reduces the chance of developing breast cancer to less than 0.5%).

Eliminating uterine and ovarian cancer risks.

NEUTER:

Lowering the risk of serious conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis.

Reducing the risk of hormone-related (testosterone) diseases such as perianal adenoma.

Eliminating the risk of testicular cancer, the second most common cancer in intact dogs.

Removing sexual urges, which usually decreases roaming behaviors.

Reducing certain types of aggression, territorial dominance, fighting and bite wounds.