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2023 Annual Pet Parasite Forecasts

RISK OF EXPOSURE TO VECTOR-BORNE PATHOGENS: WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2023Pathogens that cause heartworm disease, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis continue to increase and spread throughout the United States. The risk of vector-borne disease is complex and involves the interaction of vectors, pathogens, hosts, host behaviors, and habitats. Land use and climate change, human population growth, urbanization, changes in wildlife host and vector densities and distributions, and increasing globalization are all factors that directly impact vector-borne diseases. An interdisciplinary approach between human, animal, and ecosystem health, referred to as One Health, has recently been relied upon as a framework that can help address the diversity of factors involved in vector-borne disease risks. ...

Are We Doing Enough to Prevent Heartworm Infections?

by Dr. Clarke Atkins

Most 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...

Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Microscopic Fecal Examinations

by Byron Blagburn MS, PhD

A “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...

Building the CAPC Forecast

by Dr. Robert Lund PhD

As a mathematician, statistician and Clemson University professor, I have been studying time series and forecasting methods for over 20 years. I helped develop the mathematical models used to assess temperature and hurricane count changes in the United States and enjoy the challenge of analyzing various factors to identify commonalities and trends. ...

CAPC Parasite Prevalence Maps: Criteria for Data Inclusion

by Dr. Susan E. Little

The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) requires that the following criteria be met for inclusion of any data in its disease prevalence maps...

How to Convince Clients of the Need for Heartworm Preventatives

by Dwight Bowman MS, PhD

PARAMUS, 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...

Microscopic Fecal Exam Procedures

by Byron Blagburn MS, PhD

Fecal 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...

Old Challenges, New Guidelines

by Dr. Kevin Kazacos

Parasites 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...

Parasite Control in Pets Requires Year-Round Vigilance

by Dr. Michael Paul

Pets 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...

Parasite Protection: Compelling Clients to Comply

by Dr. Michael Thomas

This article was the fourth installment of a 10-part series and written by:...

The Bond Cats, Dogs and their Owners Shouldn't Share

by Dr. Peter Schantz

As 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...

The Case for Year-Round Flea and Tick Control

by Dr. Mike Dryden

Fleas 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...

The Case for Year-Round Parasite Control

by Dwight Bowman MS, PhD

What’s an acceptable number of canine heartworm cases in the United States...

Tick-Borne Diseases Reported in Most States, Expert Says

by Dr. Susan E. Little

ORLANDO, 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...

Understanding the Maps: Key Factors that Influence the Results

by Heather Walden MS, PhD

The 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...

What's Your Risk?

by Dr. Charlotte Lacroix

Liability 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...

Who Is Uniquely Susceptible to Parasites Transmitted by Dogs and Cats?

by Dr. Eugenia Marcus

This article is the seventh installment of a 10-part series and was written by:...

Why Fecal Centrifugation is Better

by Byron Blagburn MS, PhD

Gastrointestinal 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...