Dr. Walden: Parasitic pet diseases spreading

Ticks transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis. Mosquitoes play a key role in the spread of heartworm disease.

Heartworm disease and the tick-borne illnesses Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are predicted to expand across the United States in 2024, according to the Companion Animal Parasite Council’s annual report.

“What was true before may not be true today when it comes to the local threat of parasites to our pets and families,” said CAPC President Dr. Heather Walden, a professor at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. “Over the past 12 years, we have seen the movement of parasitic diseases and the vectors that carry them expand to new areas, signaling the need for pet owners to test their pets every year and protect them year-round.”

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