The invading forces will arrive by land and air.
The Companion Animal Parasite Council says four common pet diseases will show up in more places this year or at least pose a higher risk, courtesy of the ticks or mosquitoes that help transmit the infections.
The nonprofit group released its forecasts April 18 as an advisory to pet owners and veterinarians, and as a reminder to vaccinate animals and administer year-round preventive medications.
“This year,” said CAPC board member Dwight Bowman, Ph.D., “there are significant shifts in prevalence, making our maps a critical educational tool for veterinary hospitals, and allowing veterinarians and pet owners to see that parasites are ever changing and widespread, sometimes surprisingly so.”
The Salem, Oregon, organization analyzes weather patterns and other data to predict where the risk of parasitic infections is heightened and where the danger may have lessened.
Here is CAPC’s disease breakdown:
Heartworm
Prediction: Above average nationwide.
Warning: “Hyper-endemic prevalence seen in the lower Mississippi River region will be even more active than normal. Veterinarians in the northern tier states from Washington State to Vermont should be on alert as this area may see a problematic rise in heartworm infections among their patients.”
Lyme
Prediction: Oozing into non-endemic areas.
Warning: “Veterinarians living close to Lyme’s endemic boundary line (the Dakotas, Iowa, Missouri, Southern Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina) should be on high alert. Western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, West Virginia and the Appalachian region in Virginia need to prepare for an active year.”
Good news: “As for Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, PA, and eastward (including the Delmarva area) and the Boston/Cape Cod area: Congratulations, you are expected to see a little relief this year.”
Anaplasmosis
Prediction: Average across much of the United States.
Warning: “Northwestern Minnesota is forecasted to have an active year.”
Good news: “Two bright spots are the Wisconsin/Minnesota border area as well as the Boston/Cape Cod region, which are expected to see less activity than normal.”
Ehrlichiosis
Prediction: “Southern Virginia and northern North Carolina are forecasted to be more active than normal. The rest of the United States is expected to see about normal prevalence in 2018.”
CAPC forecasts and parasite prevalence maps are available at www.petsandparasites.org.