Parasite threats on the rise for pets

ticks, tapeworms, and now the return of a once-eradicated parasite. It's called New World Screw Worm, and for veterans, they're sounding the alarm because of all of this. So let's turn things over to Dr. Casey Locklear, a veterinarian at Alenco Animal Care. Dr. Locklear, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Thank you for having me. All right, so New World Scare Worm. It was wiped out in the U.S. decades ago. How did it come back? And this specifically affects pet owners. So what should they be concerned about here? Yeah, absolutely. New World Screw Worm is actually spread by a fly. That's a little bit unique to this parasite. So it's spread by a fly, and it was previously eradicated in the United States in the 1960s. But recently, through cattle movement, the expansion of wildlife, it has re-emerged along the Texas-Mexico border, with cases reported currently in both Texas and New Mexico. So this fly can parasitize any living warm-blooded creature, our pets included. So I wonder, you said Texas and New Mexico are where they've been spotted now. Should pet owners here in California, northern California, be concerned about this right now? Absolutely. So when we look historically, while this isn't an emerging threat to California right now, I would invite pet owners to get educated and be able to be vigilant on it. Because when we look at the history, New World Screw Worm did make its way as far north as San Francisco back in the early 1900s. So here are some things to look for. In your pet, especially an otherwise healthy pet, unexpected wounds, wounds that are enlarging, wounds that maybe have a foul odor, some discharge. And as gross as this sounds, this is an important factor. You may actually see some glistening movement or even maggots within that wound. That is the screw worm larva. That's where New World Screw Worm gets its name. But that's also what makes this parasite so dangerous to pets and the animals that it infects. Wow. It is pretty scary for any pet owner out there. So I guess the question is here, where would the screw worm really develop that your pet would be that would cause your pet to be exposed to it? Yeah. So New World Screw Worm being spread by a fly, that fly obviously has the ability to fly quite some distance on its own. And then New World Screw Worm can infest any living warm-blooded animal, pupils included, but as well as cattle, wildlife. That's how we would expect New World Screw Worm to continue to move. So my message to pet owners is quite simple. If you suspect New World Screw Worm in your pet, contact your veterinarian immediately. Those pets do need emergency medical care to make sure that that parasite is treated. But the good news is, even though New World Screw Worm is relatively new, re-emerging to the United States, there are treatment options available. Cordelio Quatro CA1 is the first and only conditionally approved treatment for New World Screw Worm in dogs. So there are options, but veterinary care is your first line of defense. So I'm wondering here, so the fly itself would carry this particular parasite to infect your pet. So the fly would be around cattle, and the fly would be around that cattle, and then that could conceivably go into, you know, an area where your pet is located and get onto your animal? Yeah, so this is an interesting thing about New World Screw Worm. We most commonly associate it with cattle. However, it can use any wildlife reservoir host. So if we think about our local area dog parks, we often spot squirrels, raccoons, a host of wildlife. Any of those wildlife could serve as potential reservoirs and continue the forward transmission of New World Screw Worm. Now, it's not contagious directly from animal to animal, but those animals that are infected allow more screw worm to hatch and more of those flies to then fly on and seek other hosts to infest. Alright, so ticks, tape worms, screw worms, what conversations really should pet owners be having with their vets to make sure their animals are covered? And can you put anything on your pet to protect them from this? Yeah, absolutely. So talk to your veterinarian today. New World Screw Worm is a great thing to re-energize the conversation about broad-spectrum parasite protection for your pets. We know that protecting pets against fleas and ticks are a key element to preventing the scratching and itching that could create wounds that New World Screw Worm is looking for as an opportunity. So talk to your veterinarian today about coverage with a product like Cordelio Quatro. Cordelio Quatro prevents heartworm disease when given on a monthly basis. It also treats and controls those icky fleas and ticks. It treats intestinal parasites, including three types of tape worms, and it prevents Lyme disease. So use this opportunity to go have a proactive conversation with your veterinarian to see if a product like Cordelio Quatro is right for your dog, especially if your dog is over eight weeks of age and greater than 3.3 pounds. All right, Dr. Casey Locklear, veterinarian at Elanco Animal Health. Thank you so much for joining us and providing your insight. Good information for any pet owner out there to be aware of. We appreciate it.