Here in Colorado we are fairly lucky to not have to deal with a lot of pesky parasites, including Heartworms.  In other warmer and more humid parts of the country, Heartworms are a year round threat.  Veterinary Practice News recently revealed the list of the top 10 cities with the most Heartworm cases this year...and you may be surprised to know that #1 is a in a state that borders Colorado!  This is especially important to remember as Kansas ships a lot of their dogs to Colorado to rehome them.  So Heartworms are definitely a growing threat to our Colorado pets!

Overland Park, Kans, tops list of heartworm cities for March

San Francisco, Calif., Laredo, Tex., and Thousand Oaks, Calif. also made the list

April 17, 2019

According to Companion Animal Parasite Council’s (CAPC’s) top 10 list, Overland Park, Kans, was the number one city for heartworms in March.

CAPC says annual testing is more important than ever to ensure dogs and cats are protected no matter where they live or travel. It also recommends year-round heartworm protection.

“It takes just one heartworm-infected dog in an area to become a reservoir of infection, increasing the number of infected mosquitoes and ultimately spreading the heartworm parasite to unprotected dogs and cats,” says CAPC board member, Michael Yabsley, MS, PhD, FRES, professor in the department of population health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia.

According to CAPC, national frequency rates for heartworm have increased each of the last five years and are now up 20 percent from 2013 levels.

The following U.S. cities have the highest percentage increase in positive heartworm tests for March:
1) Overland Park, Kans.
2) San Francisco, Calif.
3) Laredo, Tex.
4) Thousand Oaks, Calif.
5) Salinas, Calif.
6) Oceanside, Calif.
7) Clarksville, Tenn.
8) Portland, Ore.
9) Providence, R.I.
10) Jersey City, N.J.