Premier Pet Clinic

Happy Marvelous Monday! We would like to let all of our clients know that we are going to be CLOSED this Wednesday, April 21st for the day. If your pet has an emergency or needs medical attention, please contact Oklahoma Veterinary Specialists in Tulsa at 918-299-4900. We hope you all have a fantastic week!

Happy Whimsical Wednesday! We have spent the last few days educating you all on all things heartworm from the lifecycle to testing and all the things in between. Today, we would like to share with you the different types of preventions that can be given to aid in the prevention of heartworms. Revolution Plus: This product is made for our feline friends who are 8 weeks and older. It is indicated for the prevention of heartworm disease in cats, and it also helps protect agains...t flea, ticks, and intestinal parasites like roundworms and hookworms, as well as helping control and treat ear mites. This product does require an exam to be administered. Interceptor Plus: This product is made for our canine friends who are 6 weeks and older. It helps in the prevention of heartworm disease and it also helps to treat and control common intestinal parasites including roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms. This product does require an exam and a heartworm test before being able to be administered. Simparica Trio: This product is made for our canine friends who are 8 weeks and older. It helps in the prevention of heartworm disease and also helps kill adult fleas and helps in the treatment of flea infestations, it treats and controls tick infestations, and helps to treat and control intestinal parasites such as roundworms and hookworms. This product does require an exam and a heartworm test before being able to be administered. ProHeart 6: This product is made for our canine friends who are 6 months and older. ProHeart 6 is our only injectable heartworm prevention for dogs and it will last in their system for 6 months. It also will help treat any existing hookworm infections but will only work one time during the 6 months. This product does require an exam and a heartworm test before administration.

Happy Thoughtful Tuesday! In today's continuing saga of heartworms, we will be sharing with you a couple of maps to show you the progression of heartworm infected areas across the United States. The American Heartworm Society gathers data every 3 years to understand the impact that heartworms are having nationwide, as well as in different regions. They gather testing data from thousands of veterinary practices and shelters to show the average number of heartworm positive cases per clinic. The first map is the most recent incidence map from 2019 and as you can see, Oklahoma definitely has some areas that have quite a large amount of heartworm cases. Compare this last years map to some of the other years to see how different areas have changed.

Happy Magnificent Monday! Our next topic on heartworms we will be sharing with you is what happens when a pet unfortunately becomes positive for heartworms. Once a heartworm antigen test becomes positive, there are several steps that need to be taken to help potentially rid a dog with heartworms. The number one most recommended treatment for heartworms is an injectable arsenic called Melarsomine. Along with the injections of melarsomine, a dog will need to be on several othe...r medications to help with the treatment. During treatment, a dog MUST have at least 3 months of strict cage rest, continue taking its prescribed medications, and be on a monthly heartworm preventative for the rest of its life. Even when all of the treatment protocols are strictly followed, there is still a chance that a dog can die from heartworm disease. Not only is the treatment for heartworms a dangerous business, but the cost is astronomical. The treatment for heartworms can be 15 times the cost of just getting monthly heartworm prevention. Cats can also be affected by heartworm disease but there is no antigen test for them and there is no treatment for a cat that has been infected. The American Heartworm Society has a lot of great articles and information on their website. If you would like to learn more information from them, visit heartwormsociety.org, and as always, you can call us at 918-207-5867 with any questions. See more

Happy Fantastic Friday! In our second installment of all things heartworm, we will be talking about the heartworm test today. If you own a dog, regardless of if they are indoor or outdoor, they should be heartworm tested yearly. Like we talked about in our post yesterday, heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos. As we all know, living in Oklahoma, there are no shortage of mosquitos throughout the year. The way our clinics heartworm tests works are we draw some blood from you...r pet (we only need a couple of drops of blood) and we mix it with what is called a buffer solution. These tests that we use test for the heartworms proteins, which are also called antigens. The tests detect the specific heartworm antigens which are released by adult female heartworms into the dog's bloodstream. In most cases, antigen tests can accurately detect infections with one or more adult female heartworms. Our tests take 10 minutes for us to get results and we will know in clinic whether the test is positive or negative. If your dog needs a heartworm test, or if you have questions about heartworm testing, feel free to give us a call at 918-207-5867. See more