Diagnostic, treatment, and prevention protocols for feline heartworm infection in animal sheltering agencies

Abstract

Cats are at risk for heartworm infection (Dirofilaria immitis) wherever the disease is endemic in dogs. Diagnosis is more difficult in cats, and little information is available regarding effective palliative and curative treatments for infected cats. In contrast to the challenges of diagnosis and treatment, chemoprophylaxis is highly effective, and current guidelines call for preventive medications to be administered to all cats in endemic areas. The purpose of this study was to survey feline heartworm management protocols used by 400 animal shelters and foster programs in the endemic states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi. Only 23% of shelters performed feline heartworm testing. The most common reasons for not testing were expense (36%), lack of treatment options for infected cats (18%), and because the agency considers heartworm infections in cats to be less important than in dogs (12%). Most agencies (69%) did not provide preventive medication to cats. Reasons included because testing was not performed (36%), expense (35%), and the perception that local heartworm risk was low (10%). When preventive was provided, feline-labeled broad-spectrum products were used more commonly (81%) than livestock products (14%). The survey also indicated that many policy decisions were based on inaccurate knowledge of feline heartworm prevalence and pathogenesis. Issues of cost, feasibility, and education prevent most Southeastern sheltering agencies from adequately protecting cats against heartworm disease. Practical guidelines tailored to the needs of these agencies should be developed. Subsidized testing and preventive products may facilitate implementation of feline heartworm management protocols in sheltering agencies.

Seroprevalence of heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) in feline and canine hosts from central and northern Portugal

“…However, awareness of the disease in dogs, through control and prevention, may also influence the low prevalence found in this species in the same region (Lorentzen & Caola, 2008;Dunn et al, 2011). Montoya-Alonso et al (2011) reported similar conclusions in the endemic area of Gran Canaria, Spain, with a higher feline seroprevalence of D. immitis when compared with canine prevalence.…”

Prevalence of dirofilariasis in cats in the Kars province, Turkey

“…Dirofilariasis is caused by filarial nematodes belonging to the genus Dirofilaria (16). In regions where dirofilariasis is endemic in dogs, cats are also considered to be under risk of infection and most possibly carry the disease (10). In the present study, which was aimed at determining the seroprevalence of dirofilariasis in indoor cats with outdoor access in the Kars region, the prevalence of the disease was ascertained as 20.7%.…”

Intake Procedures in Colorado Animal Shelters

“…Additionally, in the heartworm endemic state of Florida, sheltered dogs had a higher prevalence of D. immitis infection than the dog population as a whole [6]. Also of importance, the organism may affect cats in endemic areas but is rarely managed by diagnostic testing or preventive medicine due to low perceived morbidity rates, though in an 11-state survey conducted during 2005, 289 dogs and 19 cats were diagnosed with heartworm in the state of Colorado [7,8]. …”