Today's Veterinary Practice

NOV-DEC 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.

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tvpjournal.com | November/December 2015 | ToDay's VeTeriNary PracTice aHs HearTWorM HoTLiNe Peer reviewed 63 according to the american Heartworm society, over one million dogs in the United states are currently infected with Diroflaria immitis (heartworms). if diagnosed in a timely fashion, most infections can be managed medically with good results. However, a small percentage of dogs harboring heartworms develop caval syndrome (cs), an acute phase, severe form of heartworm disease (HWD) that is fatal without prompt surgical intervention. Most commonly seen in dogs heavily infected with heartworms, cs often presents acutely and progresses rapidly (Figure 1). cs is a life threatening condition; therefore, it is extremely important that clinicians recognize and understand this syndrome. WHAT IS CAVAL SYNDROME? cs is a specifc condition that develops when a mass of heartworms becomes situated in the right ventricle, right atrium, and often, the vena cava (Figure 2). These worms partially obstruct the canine caval syndrome series Part 1: Understanding develoPment of Caval syndrome Stephen L. Jones, DVM Lakeside Animal Hospital, Moncks Corner, South Carolina The Heartworm Hotline column is presented in partnership between Today's Veterinary Practice and the american Heartworm society (heartwormsociety.org). The goal of the column is to communicate practical and timely information on prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heartworm disease, as well as highlight current topics related to heartworm research and fndings in veterinary medicine. FIGURE 1. Classic caval syndrome in a dog with a high worm burden. FIGURE 2. Right view of the thorax depicting adult heartworms in the anterior vena cava ( arrows). FIGURE 3. A mass of adult heartworms lodged within the tricuspid valve of a dog presented with caval syndrome (view from the right ventricle).

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