Heartworm Medicine Shortage Affecting Local Vets
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Ruby, a yellow lab is a new mother, but was recently dumped by her owner. Ruby and her pups are now in foster care. However, not all of Ruby’s problems are gone: she tested positive for heart worm disease – a parasite infection that is all too common in West Tennessee. “Heart worms are a worm that actually lives in the blood. It’s transmitted by mosquitoes,” said Dr. Lisa White of Parkway Animal Hospital. “In West Tennessee, we are a hot bed of heart worms. Heart worms are pretty much endemic.” Normally a treatable and preventable infestation, Ruby along with other dogs across the county will have to wait for IMMITICIDE – the only FDA approved treatment for heart worms – due to a nationwide shortage. “We’ve been told two months, but I have a feeling it will be 2012,” said Dr. White. Dr. White says a heart worm diagnoses is not necessarily a death sentence for pups who test positive. There is an alternative to limit the severity and the spread of the disease. “It does not involve actually killing the heart worms,” said Dr. White. “What it involves is putting them in a holding pattern – preventing the inflammation and irritation that the heart worms cause in the blood vessels and prevents the heart worms – the dog from getting anymore heart worms, and those heart worms from infecting another dog.” However, it is not a true treatment. Dr. White says due to the shortage, giving heart worm preventatives to dogs has never been more critical. “It’s always been important for a dog in West Tennessee to stay on the heart worm preventative,” said Dr. White. “It is even more important now, when we don’t have the option of treating those heart worms, should they become positive.” If you have not had you dog on preventative heart worm treatment, Dr. White suggests immediate testing. She says the longer a dog has the parasite, the more harmful and deadly it might become.
