Today's Veterinary Practice

JUL-AUG 2015

Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.

Issue link: http://todaysveterinarypractice.epubxp.com/i/536673

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 85 of 89

Today's VeTerinary PracTice | July/august 2015 | tvpjournal.com aHs HearTWorM HoTLine Peer reviewed 82 evidence of the potential for higher survivability than traditional treatments with melarsomine or ivermectin. 11 controlled studies to date have not been performed to verify effcacy or safety. Surgical Removal one case of successful transvenous heartworm extraction in a ferret has been documented in the literature. 8 Adjunct Therapy oxygen supplementation and use of prednisolone at 1 mg daily/ferret to decrease lung infammation may be helpful in clinically affected ferrets. in dogs, the heartworm treatment protocol recommended by the american Heartworm s ociety (aHs) includes treatment of Wolbachia species by administration of doxycycline, which blocks the pro-infammatory effects that follow worm death and transmission of heartworms by reduction of circulating microflariae. at this time, it is not known if doxycycline could play a role in treatment of heartworm infection in ferrets. PREVENTION in the years preceding the development and testing of macrocyclic lactones for prevention of heartworm in ferrets, ivermectin, 10 mcg Po, was utilized by many practitioners and found to be highly protective when given on a monthly basis. The recent licensure and approval of imidacloprid/moxidectin (advantage Multi for cats, bayerdvm.com), however, has afforded practitioners a scientifcally proven and licensed product for ferret owners. This product should be administered monthly at the recommended minimum dose of imidacloprid, 9 mg/lb (20 mg/kg), and moxidectin, 0.9 mg/lb (2 mg/kg), by topical administration, regardless of indoor/ outdoor status. While no serious side effects were observed during the Fda studies of this product in ferrets, several possible adverse reactions were reported, including pruritus/scratching, scabbing, redness, stiffening of hair, infammation at the treatment site, and lethargy; all of which resolved without treatment. Just as in dogs and cats, monthly, year-round heartworm prevention is recommended for both indoor and outdoor ferrets housed in heartworm endemic areas due to their susceptibility to HWd. 9 Mosquitoes are found inside homes wherever they exist, and are capable of surviving in microclimates throughout winter (eaves of houses, crawlspaces, etc). IN SUMMARY • diagnosis and treatment of heartworm infection in ferrets is more problematic than in dogs, and fewer studies have been conducted to determine best diagnostic methods. • Bilirubinuria may be one of the more consistent laboratory abnormalities in heartworm positive ferrets. 2,9 • The use of antigen tests in combination with imaging appears to be diagnostically accurate. • Treatment of patent infections is problematic Table 3. therapies for Heartworm infection in Ferrets tHeraPY meDiCation Prevention Minimum dose of Advantage Multi for Cats (bayerdvm.com): Imidacloprid (20 mg/kg) + moxidectin (2 mg/kg) applied topically each month Adulticide Melarsomine dihydrochloride (carries high risk of post treatment embolus formation): • 2.5 mg/kg IM administered twice, 24 hours apart • 3.25 mg/kg IM administered twice, 24 hours apart • 3.25 mg/kg IM administered as one injection followed one month later by 2 injec- tions, 24 hours apart Macrocyclic lactone • Ivermectin (Heartgard, us.merial.com) slow kill adulticide—dose extrapolated and anecdotal—10 mcg PO monthly • Moxidectin (ProHeart, zoetisus.com) slow kill adulticide—dose anecdotal—0.17 mg (0.05 mL) SC Surgical Transvenous heartworm extraction Adjunct • Doxycycline • Oxygen supplementation • Prednisolone, 1 mg PO Q 24 H

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Today's Veterinary Practice - JUL-AUG 2015