The Companion Animal Parasite Council issued a statement in May 2010 noting reports of resistance to heartworm preventives (e.g. Heartgard, Interceptor, Sentinel) in cases involving dogs in the south-central US.
Additionally, the American Heartworm Society has assembled a commission to publish recommendations for the development of protocols for heartworm preventives to minimize the potential for resistance.
Heartworms are transmitted to dogs and cats by mosquito bites and can cause heartfailure and death. It is fairly safe and easy (for the moment at least) to prevent, but can be costly and dangerous to treat once an animal is infested.
This is one disease that I still recommend giving monthly preventives to your dogs in order to prevent. The only kind I recommend is the kind given by mouth (oral, PO) and specifically NOT the topical or injectable formulations, except in extreme cases. And in Southeastern Pensslyvania, I recommend year round heartworm preventive, that is, give a dose every month on the same day of each month, year'round.
All that said, with increasing reports of resistance to the preventives, good nutritional and immune support should not be overlooked in terms of their importance in preventing heartworm infestation and disease. This is relevant because not all unprotected dogs bitten by heartworm carrying mosquitoes become infested, and overall health is likely a significant a factor for this.
I'm not convinced that most cats need heartworm preventives, perhaps cats that spend the majority of their time outside, but probably not cats that live entirely indoors. Of course, there is a safe preventive available for your cat should you prefer to have your cat on a heartworm preventive.
Pood
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