BULLETIN LEADING THE FIGHT AGAINST HEARTWORM DISEASE Interpreting the New 2016 AHS HEARTWORM INCIDENCE MAP JUNE 2017 VOLUME 44 No. 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page 4 From the President Page 5 Dr. Marisa Ames Joins Heartworm AHS Board Incidence 2016 Page 8 Research Update Abstracts from the Literature Page 13 Heartworm University Page 13 very three years, the AHS gathers data “The severity of heartworm incidence AHS Student Memberships via an incidence survey and creates as shown in this map is based on the Ea map that shows the survey results. average number of cases per report- Page 14 The latest AHS survey was conducted in ing clinic. Some remote regions of the Heartworm Heroes— January and February 2017 and focused on United States lack veterinary clinics, Jack’s Legacy 2016 calendar-year heartworm testing, with therefore we have no reported cases Page 16 more than 4,500 veterinary practices and shel- from these areas.” Quarterly Update — ters responding. The 2016 map was released What’s New from AHS? in April for Heartworm Awareness Month. The reason for including this statement is to Since its release, AHS has received some ensure transparency and clarity, and never to Page 17 New Pet Adoption Brochures comments about interpretation of the map so over-state the map. Now Available we asked AHS Ex-Officio Board Member Dr. Doug Carithers, who conducted the survey, to n INCIDENCE Page 19 address those questions. The map is intended to show incidence, not NCSU Vet Students Raise Since the first modern AHS heartworm map prevalence. Incidence is defined as the number Heartworm Awareness was produced in 2002 (on 2001 data), along of new cased identified in a specific time frame; Page 23 with the AHS copyright, every AHS map has thus, the request in the survey for cases iden- New Resources form AHS had the following explanation attached: tified in the previous calendar year. (Prevalence Continues on page 7 American Heartworm Society / PO Box 8266, Wilmington, DE 19803-8266 Become an American Heartworm Society www.heartwormsociety.org / [email protected] fan on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS PLATINUM LEVEL PO Box 8266 Wilmington, DE 19803-8266 [email protected] www.heartwormsociety.org Mission Statement The mission of the American Heartworm Society is to lead the vet- erinary profession and the public in the understanding of heartworm disease. Heartworm Vision The vision of the American Heartworm Society is a world without heartworm. 2016 TRIENNIAL SYM POSIUM You Could Make a Difference SILVER LEVEL Help us in our mission to lead the veterinary profession and the public in understanding heartworm disease. We have committees that could use your expertise and enthusiasm. Contact us at [email protected] 2 AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY BULLETIN www.heartwormsociety.org 2017 EXECUTIVE BOARD Officers Dr. Christopher J. Rehm, Sr. Dr. Tony Rumschlag Dr. Patricia Payne President Vice President Editor Rehm Animal Clinic, P.C. Elanco Emeritus Faculty Mobile, AL Greenfield, IN Kansas State University Manhattan, KS Dr. Stephen Jones Dr. Bianca Zaffarano Past-President Secretary/Treasurer Lakeside Animal Hospital Iowa State University Moncks Corner, SC Ames, Iowa Board Members Dr. Elizabeth Clyde Clyde’s Animal Clinic Mattoon, IL Dr. Christopher Duke Dr. Tom Nelson Bienville Animal Medical Center Animal Medical Center Ocean Springs, MS Anniston AL Dr. Brian DiGangi Senior Director of Shelter Medicine Dr. Andrew Moorhead Dr. Jenni Rizzo ASPCA University of Georgia Mission Pet Emergency Gainesville, FL Athens, GA San Antonio, TX Ex-Officio — Non-Voting Dr. Chris Adolph Dr. Doug Dr. John McCall Dr. Robert Zoetis Carithers Associate Editor Zolynas Tulsa, OK Symposium Professor Emeritus Bayer HealthCare Program Chair University of GA Kansas City, MO Boehringer Athens, GA Ingelheim Duluth, GA Dr. Marisa Ames Dr. Craig Parks Colorado State Dr. Elizabeth Virbac University Hodgkins Fort Worth, TX Fort Collins, CO Ceva Animal Health Lenexa, KS Association Management Team Dr. Kathy Gloyd Bonnie Gamble Robin Hipple PR CONTACT ELEVATE DVM ELEVATE DVM (Bulletin) Sue O’Brien Wilmington, DE bonnie.gamble@ ELEVATE DVM Sue K. O’Brien Communications [email protected] heartwormsociety.org [email protected] [email protected] Sonya Hennessy Lisa Scott (Heartworm University) ELEVATE DVM ELEVATE DVM [email protected] [email protected] AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY BULLETIN www.heartwormsociety.org 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT Why Does Heartworm Incidence Continue to Increase and What Can We Do About It? infections. We are learning more about the cases of resistance in the Delta and in other parts of the country and feel confident that resistance is not a factor in the increase of heartworm infections and disease. We are confident that we can prevent, treat, and diagnose heartworm infection extremely well. Yet somehow our incidence continues to climb. What do we do now?? Christopher J. Rehm, Sr., DVM, President Even though we received some bad news in our 2016 incidence survey, there were some positives gleaned from it as he weather is heating up, rains are So why are there more heartworms well. More veterinarians and the public coming more regularly, termites are around the country every year? are visiting our website and learning more Tswarming, the fleas are exploding, about this parasite. More practitioners mosquitoes are hatching out in record Are we not getting the word out? Is are following our Guidelines for treating numbers, new batches of puppies and there an explanation for what our inci- this disease that Dr. Clarke Atkins calls kittens are coming into our offices for dence survey showed, a 21.7% increase “the most important disease in veterinary their first checkups, and we are still treat- on average for heartworm-positive cases medicine.” The AHS App is being used by ing too many poor dogs for the horrific, per hospital since our last survey? (For practitioners and staff for their heartworm devastating, and often deadly disease more on the 2016 incidence survey and cases, calculations, and discussions with called heartworm or dirofilariasis. The map, please see pages 1 and 7.) their clients. Some states like my home names change but the stories are often We have many lively discussions about state of Alabama actually had a decrease very similar. Oh doc, I was too busy to all of the above at our board meetings. in heartworm-positive cases since the get Buster in last year. I thought Frontline We have some of the brightest research- 2013 survey. I am confident as we come Plus was a heartworm preventive. I was ers, teachers, industry veterinarians, off another April Heartworm Awareness getting some stuff from the feed store parasitologists, cardiologists, and practi- Month and another triennial incidence sur- that was so much less expensive. I tioners that can tell you just about every vey that we can still make a difference for thought my wife was giving Chloe’s pre- minute detail about the parasite, its life our beloved pets. If anything, I am more ventive. Pepper cannot have heartworms cycle, variations of normal, responses determined to fight the good fight and to because we use preventives every sum- to different stimuli or medications, and promote the AHS mission: “To lead the mer. I thought Chester’s medicine was prognosticate its next move or where veterinary profession and the public in the the right size for Butch, too. I hear these resistance could occur and even postulate understanding of heartworm disease” and and other stories all the time but I have why it will occur. Yet we cannot explain or our vision of a world without heartworm. never had anyone tell me that they did not understand why we do not prevent a very think heartworm was important, real, or a preventable disease that affects millions How can you help? threat to their pet. of pets every year. We can explain weath- er patterns that result in more mosquitoes Recruit a colleague to join AHS in and the resulting increase in heartworm our fight against this deadly disease. 4 AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY BULLETIN www.heartwormsociety.org AHS WELCOMES DR. MARISA Help support research and outreach. AMES Get involved on one of our committees TO THE EXECUTIVE or let us know if you are interested in a BOARD board position when one opens up. (For more on AHS activities, please see our PLEASE JOIN US Quarterly Report on page 16.) in welcoming Dr. Marisa A wise old veterinarian once said to Ames to the AHS Executive me, “our clients can afford anything, Board. Dr. Ames has been Marisa Ames, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Cardiology) Chris. They just can’t afford everything.” an Assistant Professor in That statement had a profound effect on the Department of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University’s College of my approach to client education. It is up Veterinary Medicine since 2013. A 2007 graduate of the Ohio State University, to us to teach our clients, staff, young she completed internships in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Michigan associates, and the public how to prior- State University and in Emergency and Critical Care at Tufts Cummings School itize for their pets. It is up to us to help of Veterinary Medicine. She completed her cardiology residency in 2012 and them make good choices. It is up to us the Jane Lewis-Seaks postdoctoral fellowship at North Carolina State University to make firm, simple recommendations, in 2013. especially when it comes to parasite Dr. Ames was appointed to the Board as an Ex Officio (non-voting) member prevention. It is also up to us to be sure at the Board meeting in March 2017. Rather than going through the typical AHS everyone on our staff sings the same election process held every three years at the Triennial Symposium, Dr.