Articles from the Experts
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Are We Doing Enough to Prevent Heartworm Infections?
by Dr. Clarke AtkinsMost Americans love their pets and consider them family members. Likewise, most clients would not knowingly expose a pet to infection with a potentially fatal disease. Yet millions of owners who fail to protect their pets from heartworm infection are doing exactly that...
Read More
Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Microscopic Fecal Examinations
by Byron Blagburn MS, PhDA “fecal” may seem like one of the more humble tasks performed in a veterinary hospital. That does not diminish the importance of this examination, which can provide valuable information on the health status of veterinary patients. Parasite diagnosis and monitoring are vital to pet health and the health of pet owners, given the zoonotic potential of many parasites...
Read More
How to Convince Clients of the Need for Heartworm Preventatives
by Dwight Bowman MS, PhDPARAMUS, N.J. — Sometimes owners give veterinarians a hard time about prophylaxis against heartworm, but Dwight D. Bowman, MS, PhD, said it isn’t too hard to convince them of the need if veterinarians talk about the disease the worms cause...
Read More
Microscopic Fecal Exam Procedures
by Byron Blagburn MS, PhDFecal examination procedures likely to be accepted and implemented in most veterinary practices include flotation (centrifugal or passive), sedimentation, and direct examination (direct smear). Only flotation and sedimentation are concentration procedures. Direct smears have poor sensitivity because of the small amount of feces examined, but may be useful for demonstrating motile organisms. CAPC recommends that feces be routinely screened by a centrifugal flotation method, which is consistently more sensitive than simple flotation. Accuracy of centrifugal flotation techniques depends on procedural details and specimen attributes...
Read More
Old Challenges, New Guidelines
by Dr. Kevin KazacosParasites have long challenged animal and human health. But over the last decade, veterinary medicine has witnessed significant advances in parasite protection and control. Today, we have the knowledge and a wider range of products to treat and prevent common internal and external parasites in pets...
Read More
Parasite Control in Pets Requires Year-Round Vigilance
by Dr. Michael PaulPets presented for complaints associated with some pathology of their skin — such as pruritis, abnormalities of keratinization, alopecia and other abnormalities both primary and secondary— comprise a large percentage of cases seen by veterinarians...
Read More
The Bond Cats, Dogs and their Owners Shouldn't Share
by Dr. Peter SchantzAs we all know, our dogs and cats comfort us, give us companionship, and become members of our families. However, as the popularity of dog and cat ownership increases, so does the inherent risk of zoonotic infections affecting the health of both pets and human family members. The good news is that we have the means to prevent most of these infections; nevertheless, the data show that we are not as successful as we could be...
Read More
The Case for Year-Round Flea and Tick Control
by Dr. Mike DrydenFleas and ticks are more than mere nuisances. They cause distress in dogs and cats and, more important, they cause disease. On-again, off-again preventive programs are not the optimal way to safeguard the health of pets and their families...
Read More
Tick-Borne Diseases Reported in Most States, Expert Says
by Dr. Susan E. LittleORLANDO, Fla. — A new study supports what experts have been saying — ticks are moving into new areas and bringing new diseases. A national survey of veterinary clinics found positive tests for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis present in most states...
Read MoreUnderstanding the CAPC Forecast Maps
by Stella Coker Watson Self, PhDEach spring, CAPC publishes annual forecasts maps for Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and heartworm disease for the contiguous United States (US), as well as a Lyme disease forecast for southern Canada. These maps predict the proportion of dogs tested in veterinary clinics who will receive a positive test result for antigen (D. immitis) or antibody (Borrelia burgdorferi, Ehrlichia spp., and Anaplasma spp.) detection. The forecast maps are derived from routine testing data collected from clinics across the US and Canada and then aggregated by year and county (in the US) or forward sortation area or FSA (in Canada). There are over 61 million test results for each the three tick-borne agents and over 121,000,000 test results for the heartworm parasite. The maps also leverage several other data sources, including annual temperature, relative humidity and precipitation data collected from the PRISM database maintained by Oregon University1 (US), or the ClimateNA model2 (Canada), elevation and other ecological data derived from the National Land Cover Database3 (US) and North American Land Change Monitoring System4 (Canada), and socio-demographic data such as median household income and population density obtained from the US Census Bureau5 and the Canadian Census of Population6. The heartworm forecast also leverages data on the presence or absence of 5 Aedes, 2 Anopheles and 1 Culex mosquito species7...
Read More
Understanding the Maps: Key Factors that Influence the Results
by Heather Walden MS, PhDThe CAPC Parasite Prevalence Maps are designed to show the proportion of pets tested which test positive for a given infection using available assays. This data is very useful to veterinarians and others trying to better understand the prevalence of parasites in a given practice area, but as with any survey, the results can be influenced by a number of factors, including the number of pets tested, the history of the pets prior to testing, the reason the pets were tested, and the assays used. Understanding each of these factors is critical to accurately interpreting the geographic distribution of these important disease agents...
Read More
What's Your Risk?
by Dr. Charlotte LacroixLiability for the transmission of zoonotic diseases can be a disaster waiting to happen. When a toddler playing with his puppy results in his being blinded due to Toxocara larva migrans infection, make no mistake: our litigious society will likely put the responsibility on you...
Read More
Why Fecal Centrifugation is Better
by Byron Blagburn MS, PhDGastrointestinal parasites are not only primary disease agents in companion animals, some are also transmissible to people. Of all the microscopic diagnostic techniques used to detect gastrointestinal parasites, none is more accurate and reliable than centrifugal fecal flotation when it is performed properly. I think it is safe to say that if you or the commercial laboratory you submit samples to is not using centrifugal flotation procedures, you are probably underdiagnosing parasites...
Read More
What's Your Risk?
by Dr. Charlotte LacroixLiability for the transmission of zoonotic diseases can be a disaster waiting to happen. When a toddler playing with his puppy results in his being blinded due to Toxocara larva migrans infection, make no mistake: our litigious society will likely put the responsibility on you...
Read More
Understanding the Maps: Key Factors that Influence the Results
by Heather Walden MS, PhDThe CAPC Parasite Prevalence Maps are designed to show the proportion of pets tested which test positive for a given infection using available assays. This data is very useful to veterinarians and others trying to better understand the prevalence of parasites in a given practice area, but as with any survey, the results can be influenced by a number of factors, including the number of pets tested, the history of the pets prior to testing, the reason the pets were tested, and the assays used. Understanding each of these factors is critical to accurately interpreting the geographic distribution of these important disease agents...
Read More
Tick-Borne Diseases Reported in Most States, Expert Says
by Dr. Susan E. LittleORLANDO, Fla. — A new study supports what experts have been saying — ticks are moving into new areas and bringing new diseases. A national survey of veterinary clinics found positive tests for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis present in most states...
Read More
The Case for Year-Round Flea and Tick Control
by Dr. Mike DrydenFleas and ticks are more than mere nuisances. They cause distress in dogs and cats and, more important, they cause disease. On-again, off-again preventive programs are not the optimal way to safeguard the health of pets and their families...
Read More
The Bond Cats, Dogs and their Owners Shouldn't Share
by Dr. Peter SchantzAs we all know, our dogs and cats comfort us, give us companionship, and become members of our families. However, as the popularity of dog and cat ownership increases, so does the inherent risk of zoonotic infections affecting the health of both pets and human family members. The good news is that we have the means to prevent most of these infections; nevertheless, the data show that we are not as successful as we could be...
Read More
Parasite Control in Pets Requires Year-Round Vigilance
by Dr. Michael PaulPets presented for complaints associated with some pathology of their skin — such as pruritis, abnormalities of keratinization, alopecia and other abnormalities both primary and secondary— comprise a large percentage of cases seen by veterinarians...
Read More
Old Challenges, New Guidelines
by Dr. Kevin KazacosParasites have long challenged animal and human health. But over the last decade, veterinary medicine has witnessed significant advances in parasite protection and control. Today, we have the knowledge and a wider range of products to treat and prevent common internal and external parasites in pets...
Read More
How to Convince Clients of the Need for Heartworm Preventatives
by Dwight Bowman MS, PhDPARAMUS, N.J. — Sometimes owners give veterinarians a hard time about prophylaxis against heartworm, but Dwight D. Bowman, MS, PhD, said it isn’t too hard to convince them of the need if veterinarians talk about the disease the worms cause...
Read MoreUnderstanding the CAPC Forecast Maps
by Stella Coker Watson Self, PhDEach spring, CAPC publishes annual forecasts maps for Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and heartworm disease for the contiguous United States (US), as well as a Lyme disease forecast for southern Canada. These maps predict the proportion of dogs tested in veterinary clinics who will receive a positive test result for antigen (D. immitis) or antibody (Borrelia burgdorferi, Ehrlichia spp., and Anaplasma spp.) detection. The forecast maps are derived from routine testing data collected from clinics across the US and Canada and then aggregated by year and county (in the US) or forward sortation area or FSA (in Canada). There are over 61 million test results for each the three tick-borne agents and over 121,000,000 test results for the heartworm parasite. The maps also leverage several other data sources, including annual temperature, relative humidity and precipitation data collected from the PRISM database maintained by Oregon University1 (US), or the ClimateNA model2 (Canada), elevation and other ecological data derived from the National Land Cover Database3 (US) and North American Land Change Monitoring System4 (Canada), and socio-demographic data such as median household income and population density obtained from the US Census Bureau5 and the Canadian Census of Population6. The heartworm forecast also leverages data on the presence or absence of 5 Aedes, 2 Anopheles and 1 Culex mosquito species7...
Read More
Microscopic Fecal Exam Procedures
by Byron Blagburn MS, PhDFecal examination procedures likely to be accepted and implemented in most veterinary practices include flotation (centrifugal or passive), sedimentation, and direct examination (direct smear). Only flotation and sedimentation are concentration procedures. Direct smears have poor sensitivity because of the small amount of feces examined, but may be useful for demonstrating motile organisms. CAPC recommends that feces be routinely screened by a centrifugal flotation method, which is consistently more sensitive than simple flotation. Accuracy of centrifugal flotation techniques depends on procedural details and specimen attributes...
Read More
Why Fecal Centrifugation is Better
by Byron Blagburn MS, PhDGastrointestinal parasites are not only primary disease agents in companion animals, some are also transmissible to people. Of all the microscopic diagnostic techniques used to detect gastrointestinal parasites, none is more accurate and reliable than centrifugal fecal flotation when it is performed properly. I think it is safe to say that if you or the commercial laboratory you submit samples to is not using centrifugal flotation procedures, you are probably underdiagnosing parasites...
Read More
Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Microscopic Fecal Examinations
by Byron Blagburn MS, PhDA “fecal” may seem like one of the more humble tasks performed in a veterinary hospital. That does not diminish the importance of this examination, which can provide valuable information on the health status of veterinary patients. Parasite diagnosis and monitoring are vital to pet health and the health of pet owners, given the zoonotic potential of many parasites...
Read More
Are We Doing Enough to Prevent Heartworm Infections?
by Dr. Clarke AtkinsMost Americans love their pets and consider them family members. Likewise, most clients would not knowingly expose a pet to infection with a potentially fatal disease. Yet millions of owners who fail to protect their pets from heartworm infection are doing exactly that...
Read More