Q: My dog has heartworms. What do I need to do?
A: Heartworms can be treated in several
different way with several different treatment options of prescription drugs to
use. If your dog has been diagnosed by your veterinarian as having heartworms you
need to sit down and discuss your options with him/her. One type of drug that
is fairly new to the market is called Immiticide. This is an organic arsenic
type of drug that is administered intramuscular in the back leg muscles of your
dog. This differs from other types of heartworm treatments, such as
Caparsolate, because most other drugs are administered intravenously.
Immiticide also reduces the occurrences of Caparsolate sloughs.
For treatment options, your veterinarian should give
one intramuscular injection in one hip and then 24 hours later give a second
injection in the opposite hip of the first. If large adult heartworm burdens
are the case then a "slow kill" regiment is needed. This consists of
one intramuscular shot and then a month later and second intramuscular shot in
one hip and then 24 hours later a third shot in the opposite hip as the second
shot. This is important if a large amount of worms are suspected. If you were
to kill them off to quickly and a large number die at once, it could cause
heart blockage and kill your dog. This treatment method kills 40-50% in the
first month and the rest after the 2nd and 3rd treatments.
It is very important to restrict
the activity of dogs that have been treated for heartworms. As the worms die
off they dislodge themselves. Is an animals is active this can cause heart
blockage and then death.
After treatment to kill the adult
worms there still may be immature larva in their system. Your veterinarian will
know how to treat them. However, a month after treatment you need to have your
dog retested. This will ensure that you have eradicated the adult worms and the
larva. This procedure is very costly and a heartworm prevention plan is
recommended for the health and well-being of your pet.
Q: How often do I need to vaccinate by pets
against Rabies?
A: In
the state of Texas the Rabies vaccine is now considered to be effective for 3
years. However, if your pets might have opportunities to encounter rabies
infected animals, it is still recommended to be vaccinated yearly.
Q: My
son and dog were both diagnosed with Clostridium
difficile. Is there anything that I can do to treat the yard/soil to
prevent re-infection? Is there anything that will kill the active spores?
A: Clostridium difficile is a common
bacterium that is found in the intestine of animals and people. There are
however certain conditions that can cause the bacteria to multiply therefore
causing sickness. If you know that the bacteria is present in the soil or
environment it is recommended that you practice good old public health (i.e.,
thoroughly washing hands or anything that has come into contact with the group
including vegetables) to help maintain the bacteria. There are some other
things that can be tried as well. If the dog was diagnosed, the yard is assumed
contaminated, and the only elimination means is 3" soil removal since no
environmental chemicals kill the spores. But if physicians assume the source
was an animal/environment and chose their dog's environment by guess and
assumed the dog is infected, then soil removal is unnecessary, unless the dog's
stool is tested and positive. Other animal environments could have been the
source. And very likely the source could have been human environment,
contaminated by human carrier feces. It may be impossible to determine the
source (unless the dog had been tested). Assumptions are made incorrectly and
commonly with zoonotic infections; if you have an animal, that's the source,
when human sources are not considered.
Q: Can dogs contract blackleg?
A: Except for tetanus, dogs can not
contract blackleg. Dogs have a natural resistance against the bacteria, except
for tetanus.
Q: How do dogs become infected with coccidia?
A: The source of infection of coccidia in
dogs comes from the feces of other infected dogs. The coccidia cysts in the
feces are dispersed in the environment by a water source either rain or water
hoses. The cysts are then viable anywhere from a couple of weeks to several
months depending on the environment they are in. If the cysts happen to be in
shady, moist conditions they can survive for several unlike the opposite of
sunny and dry where they die within a few weeks. Susceptible dogs then become
infected by eating and drinking contaminated food as well as licking
contaminated feet, haircoat and anal area.
