Updated document: April 28, 2020

Below are some timely comments, headed up by OVC veterinary parasitologist Dr. Andrew Peregrine, about heartworm testing and heartworm preventive administration during this period of “urgent care only” veterinary services.  You can also click here for a pdf version of the comments Please note that this was created for

Negotiating the world of antiparasitics for dogs and cats can be daunting. With the wide range of products, similarly named products with different ingredients and differently named products with the same ingredients, it’s hard to keep up.

The Ontario Animal Health Network as put together some useful tables that outline antiparasitic products available in Canada

Most of the time, when we talk about the parasite Dirofilaria in animals, we’re talking about Dirofilaria immitis – a.k.a. heartworm. However, it’s not the only member of this parasite family that is found in dogs and cats. Another one, Dirofilaria repens, is present in pets in many regions, and it can also spread to

.Dirofilaria immitis is the parasite that causes heartworm in dogs (and rarely cats). This mosquito-borne parasite can cause serious disease in dogs, and a lot of effort is spent trying to prevent heartworm infection. It can also cause disease in people who are bitten by a mosquito that has fed on an infected dog, but

We’ve had a really bizarre spring around here. At a time of year when we’re usually bouncing back and forth between snow and rain, we seem to have skipped over spring and moved right into summer. It was 25 C (77F) today, the snow’s long gone, frogs are deafening at night and, on the bad

After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, there were numerous efforts to rescue animals left homeless or ownerless. As part of this, some animals were shipped far away, including large numbers to the Northeastern US and Canada. It was a time-consuming and expensive endeavour by very well-meaning people, but was accompanied by much controversy.

Heartworm is a parasitic infection (primarily of dogs) caused by Dirofilaria immitis, which is spread by mosquitoes.  In areas where the parasite is present, the standard recommendation is for preventive treatment of dogs during the mosquito season, and annual testing to make sure they don’t have the disease. Numerous types of heartworm medication are

Heartworm is an important problem in dogs. It’s a parasitic disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis and is spread by mosquitoes. It can cause serious, even fatal disease, and routine testing and preventive medication is an important thing for dogs in areas where D. immitis is present. Dogs (wild and domestic) are the natural host for