Page 9 - Martin Downs Bulletin - April '21

Martin Downs, Page 9

tip of tHe tail

Heartworm Disease And Your development usually takes a few weeks, and is dependent is usually one to two months, dogs must be completely
Pets on ambient temperature. The ambient temperature must rested to help ensure they do not experience complications.
Complications with treatment include pain at the injection
be at least 57 degrees Fahrenheit in order for L1 to L3
development to occur. When an animal is bitten by an site, blood clot formation, and lung inflammation. After
infected mosquito, L3 larvae are deposited into the treatment is completed, another blood test will need to be
animal’s skin. During the next few months, heartworms performed to confirm successful treatment. Cats can be
develop from L3 to L5. The adult heartworms then enter much more difficult to diagnose with heartworm disease.
the animal’s circulatory system, migrating to the heart and While blood tests can be used to verify a heartworm
surrounding blood vessels. Microfilariae are produced by infection, additional testing, such as an echocardiogram, is
the adult heartworms approximately five to seven months often needed to definitively diagnose heartworm disease.
after entering the host animal. Additionally, there is no approved medication to treat
Because heartworms live primarily in the blood vessels, heartworms in cats. Cats with heartworm disease may
they can cause severe damage to the circulatory system. spontaneously clear the heartworms within a few years;
This damage can lead to blood clot formation, lung disease, other cats may progress to develop heart and lung disease.
and heart failure. In severe heartworm disease, kidney and Heartworm prevention is recommended to prevent
liver failure may also occur. infections in dogs and cats. There are several prescription
The symptoms of heartworm disease depend on the products available for heartworm prevention that also can
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially life number of adult heartworms present, the location of the prevent certain intestinal parasites and in combination
threatening disease. Heartworms, also known as Dirofilaria worms, and the length of time an animal has been infected with other medications prevent or kill fleas. Ask your
immitis, are parasites that are transmitted by mosquitoes, with heartworms. When first infected with heartworms, veterinarian which one they recommend.
and may infect more than 30 species of animals, including animals will likely have no signs of infection. With mild Established in 1981, Palm City Animal Medical Center
dogs and cats. Adult heartworms are found primarily in disease, the most common symptom is cough. As heartworm is dedicated to providing the best possible care for your
the blood vessels around the heart and lungs and in the disease progresses, additional symptoms can be noted, pets. With focuses on compassionate care in surgery,
heart. The number of adult heartworms in infected animals including exercise intolerance, weakness, and difficulty physical therapy and rehabilitation, preventative medicine,
can vary from a single heartworm to more than a hundred breathing. In severe cases, death may occur. extensive diagnostics, and emergency service, Palm City
heartworms. Though widely distributed throughout the Dogs and cats differ greatly in diagnosis and treatment Animal Medical Center combines exceptional medical
United States, the highest heartworm infection rates are for heartworms. In dogs, heartworm infection is diagnosed care with a caring philosophy for pets and their owners.
found in states along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. through a simple blood test performed by a veterinarian. For more information, call (772) 283-0920, visit www.
The life cycle of the heartworm is complex and consists Once a diagnosis is made, additional testing may be palmcityanimalmedicalcenter.com or find us on Facebook
of five larval stages, L1 (microfilariae) to L5 (adult indicated to determine the severity of disease and to at www.facebook.com/PalmCityAnimalClinic.
heartworms). The life cycle begins when a mosquito bites determine if the dog can safely be treated for heartworms.
a heartworm-infected dog and ingests microfilariae. Inside Treatment consists of multiple intramuscular injections of
the mosquito, microfilariae develop to L2, then to L3. This an organic arsenical medication. During treatment, which

Local Happenings from page 8 underground lines in select neighborhoods to enhance more than 11 million residents across Florida with clean,
reliability in good weather and bad. In Hurricane Irma, reliable and affordable electricity. FPL operates one
• Proactively reviewing about 15,000 miles of power neighborhood underground power lines performed 85 of the cleanest power generation fleets in the United
lines each year and trimming and removing vegetation percent better than overhead power lines; nearly 50 States and in 2020 won the ReliabilityOne National
®
where necessary to keep lines clear and help prevent percent of FPL’s 68,000 miles of distribution power lines Reliability Excellence Award, presented by PA Consulting,
outages are already underground. for the fifth time in the last six years. The company was
• Beginning the second eight-year inspection cycle of FPL was named the winner of the 2020 ReliabilityOne™ recognized in 2020 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric
the company’s 1.2 million power poles and upgrading National Reliability Excellence Award presented by PA utilities by Escalent for the seventh consecutive year. FPL
or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s standards Consulting. This is the fifth time in six years that the is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra
for strength (approximately 150,000 poles inspected company has received the national award for providing Energy Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely
annually) superior service reliability to the more than 11 million recognized for its efforts in sustainability, ethics and
• Continuing the replacement of wooden transmission people across Florida that it serves. FPL is one out of two diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and
structures with new ones made of steel or concrete; electric companies that has received this national award gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2020 list of “World’s
98 percent of transmission structures are now steel or five times. Most Admired Companies.” NextEra Energy is also the
concrete, and by 2022, 100 percent is expected to be steel Florida Power & Light Company parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC,
or concrete Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is the largest which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s
• Beginning the Storm Secure Underground Program, energy company in the United States as measured by largest generator of renewable energy from the wind
a three-year pilot to determine cost-effective ways retail electricity produced and sold. The company serves and sun and a world leader in battery storage. For more
to replace overhead power lines with more reliable more than 5.6 million customer accounts supporting information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these
websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.
GulfPower.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.