fort dodge
Presents the 8th Annual
Fall Pet Fest
November 1, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. s Lee County Animal Services Shelter s 5600 Banner Drive, Fort Myers Join us for a day of fun hosted by Lee County Animal Services and the Animal Care Trust Fund. FEATURING: pets for adoption, pet contests with prizes for winners, a dog fashion show, flyball and agility, dog demonstrations, pet photos, games, music, food, vendor marketplace, raffle, silent auction and more.
533-7387 (LEE-PETS)
www.LeeLostPets.com $/'
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Feline
“ Disease Heartworm
By Dr. Andy King Photos courtesy of the American Heartworm Society
istock
Research has shown that indoor cats are at just as susceptible to infection as outdoor cats in Florida.
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Feline heartworm disease is a serious parasitic disease caused by a long, thin worm, Dirofilaria immitis, which lives in the blood vessels and heart of infected cats. Traditionally, heartworm disease has been thought of as a disease primarily affecting dogs; however, cats are also known to be hosts for heartworms. It has long been known that mosquitoes transmit heartworm larvae from an infected dog to an unprotected dog, where the larvae develop to mature heartworms. The adult worms then reside in the right ventricle of the heart and pulmonary artery (the artery that leads from the heart to the lungs). Because of the parasite/ host relationship that exists between the dog and the heartworm Dirofilaria immitis, the worms can live in the dog’s heart for years, reproducing and continuing the heartworm life cycle. Dozens to even hundreds of adult heartworms can live in the dog’s heart, eventually causing congestive heart failure and even death. Because the parasite/host relationship does not exist with cats, only an average of 3-5 adult worms will reside in the cat’s heart. It has been long believed that a cat’s symptoms occur when the adult heartworms die, disintegrate, and go to the lungs, resulting in inflammation. Recent research has caused the veterinary community to reconsider this theory.
Research conducted at Auburn University has shown that after infection by a mosquito, larval or pre-adult forms of the heartworm go to and through the heart to the arteries in the lungs, causing an inflammatory reaction. After a few months, when the immature worms die, another inflammatory reaction occurs, leading to pathology of the lung. This pathology has been termed Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease, or HARD. The symptoms of HARD are similar to that of a cat with bronchitis or asthma, leading to the belief that many cases
Average Number of Cases per Reporting Clinic
< 1 case/clinic 1-5 cases/clinic 6-25 cases/clinic
The severity of heartworm incidence as shown in this map is based on the average number of cases per reporting clinic. Some remote regions of the United States lack veterinary clinics, therefore we have no reported cases from these areas.
32
florida feline spring 2008
HEARTWORM INCIDENCE
26-50 cases/clinic 50+ cases/clinic
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Naples
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subscribe today! Send $20 check to: P.o. Box 111-205, naples, FL 34108
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10/23/07 2:07:08 PM
WANTED: FOREVER HOMES
2010 Arcadia Street Fort Myers, FL 33916
239.332.0364 www.gulfcoasthumanesociety.org
Island Management
Creating Pet Friendly Homes
Cats have nine lives... why risk one? Learn how you can protect your cats and electrical cords online at
www.crittercord.com
Humane Society of Broward County SM
954.989.3977
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