Heartworms in Alaskan Dogs????? (Anchorage, Chase: house, buying, living)

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by DreamChasers8

Hi guys, My family and I are planning our move to Alaska and we raise Alaskan Malamutes (I know so does everyone). Well we were wondering with the everthriving mosquito population there do y'all have to treat your dogs with Heartworm preventative such as Heartgard/Ivermectin???? Does it actually get warm enough, long enough for the larvae to survive? I've also heard that Alaska does not have any ticks or fleas. Is that just a general statement or fairly accurate to the entire state??? Would love some help finding out so my babies are protected. Thanks Guys!!!

Alaska has no tics or fleas, unless you bring them with you. Concerning heartworms: Heartworm Disease, What you should know about (broken link)

Geographically, heartworms are a potential threat in every state except Alaska

Alaskan mosquitoes also do not carry the West Nile virus or malaria.

[DreamChasers8]

Thanks everyone for all of your help.

[vettechinsalem]

If there are mosquitos, then Heartworm infection is a risk/possiblity.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by vettechinsalem

If there are mosquitos, then Heartworm infection is a risk/possiblity.

An erroneous assumption. The Alaskan Snow Mosquito (Culiseta Alaskaensis) is incapable of transmitting any parasites or disease because their body water is replaced by glycerol, a type of carbohydrate, which acts as an antifreeze and keeps the body cells from rupturing when temperatures reach the freezing point. This glycerol also prevents them from carrying parasites, like heart-worms, or diseases like the West Nile Virus or malaria.

There is only one genus of mosquito in Alaska capable of transmitting diseases or parasites, Anopheles Earlei. It is so rare in Alaska that adults have only been found in Anchorage.

Alaska is the only state in the Union were vaccinations to prevent heart-worms is not a requirement.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by vettechinsalem

If there are mosquitos, then Heartworm infection is a risk/possiblity.

That is not necessarily true. The larval stage that lives in a mosquito requires its temperature remain above 57F to stay alive, and will only develop fully if it is above 80F for at least two weeks. Those conditions are very hard, if not impossible, to meet in Alaska.

It may also be likely that common strains of mosquitos (there are perhaps 200 in the US, and about 20 different kinds of mosquitos in Alaska) that live in Alaska cannot harbor the heartworm larva. I don't know if that is true or not, but that is the reason a number of mosquito related diseases such as West Nile Fever and malaria do not exist in Alaska either.

[DreamChasers8]

Wow, this was an old thread but good to bring up again.
After moving here I have since learned from some more research and our Vet that the only cases of heartworm he has ever heard of up here are from people traveling up from the -48 with their dogs who are carrying the disease...a mosquito here in AK bites the sick dog, then bites a healthy dog, which therefore transmits the disease.

Other than that it has to be around 80-85 degrees for 2 weeks straight for the heartworm larvae to develop, which as Floyd says is not very possible.

I know it is recommended that dogs and cats be on heartworm preventative (a dewormer, not a vaccination) and I agree in areas that heartworms exist, but I didn't know any state had made it a mandatory law.

[GrammasCabin]

Originally Posted by Glitch

Alaska has no tics or fleas, unless you bring them with you. Concerning heartworms: Heartworm Disease, What you should know about (broken link)



Alaskan mosquitoes also do not carry the West Nile virus or malaria.

Actually, Wrangell documented the first case of West Nile last summer. One of our local fishermen is still in a wheelchair after several long months of terrible illness. I guess the stuff effects the nervous system. I was surprised at the time and still am that it wasn't in the news - I guess the "powers that be" decided nobody else needed to know.

I had a Chesapeke for 15 years and now have had a yellow lab for 2 - never had problems with heartworms, fleas or ticks. The lab had a bad case of tapeworm tho, no vet around, no medicine in town so I suggest a stockpile of at least one dose per dog. And don't let 'em chew on raw wild bones (yeah, good luck with that one). Another problem many dogs up here have is a yeast infection in the ears so meds for that might be a good idea too.

[Grannysroost]

Originally Posted by GrammasCabin

Actually, Wrangell documented the first case of West Nile last summer. One of our local fishermen is still in a wheelchair after several long months of terrible illness. I guess the stuff effects the nervous system. I was surprised at the time and still am that it wasn't in the news - I guess the "powers that be" decided nobody else needed to know.

I had a Chesapeke for 15 years and now have had a yellow lab for 2 - never had problems with heartworms, fleas or ticks. The lab had a bad case of tapeworm tho, no vet around, no medicine in town so I suggest a stockpile of at least one dose per dog. And don't let 'em chew on raw wild bones (yeah, good luck with that one). Another problem many dogs up here have is a yeast infection in the ears so meds for that might be a good idea too.

Thank ya mam' for the wild bone thing....

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by GrammasCabin

Actually, Wrangell documented the first case of West Nile last summer. One of our local fishermen is still in a wheelchair after several long months of terrible illness. I guess the stuff effects the nervous system. I was surprised at the time and still am that it wasn't in the news - I guess the "powers that be" decided nobody else needed to know.

The CDC does not list any cases for Alaska in 2008. It appears though that they list cases by where the disease was contracted, not where it was diagnosed. There were at least two cases documented in Alaska last year, but in both instances the individuals picked it up while in the Lower-48.

Supposedly there are at least 4 types of mosquitos in Alaska that can harbor the West Nile Virus, and there of course are several species of migratory birds that are known to have the disease in other areas and could bring it to Alaska. Hence it is at least remotely possible to contract the disease in Alaska, though it turns out to be exceedingly unlikely for a number of reasons. There will almost certainly never be a significant outbreak that spreads here because of the cool weather, the timing of bird migrations and mosquito hatches, the long reproduction cycle for mosquitos in Alaska.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by GrammasCabin

Actually, Wrangell documented the first case of West Nile last summer. One of our local fishermen is still in a wheelchair after several long months of terrible illness. I guess the stuff effects the nervous system. I was surprised at the time and still am that it wasn't in the news - I guess the "powers that be" decided nobody else needed to know.

I had a Chesapeke for 15 years and now have had a yellow lab for 2 - never had problems with heartworms, fleas or ticks. The lab had a bad case of tapeworm tho, no vet around, no medicine in town so I suggest a stockpile of at least one dose per dog. And don't let 'em chew on raw wild bones (yeah, good luck with that one). Another problem many dogs up here have is a yeast infection in the ears so meds for that might be a good idea too.

It must have been one of those pesky Canadian mosquitos that got lost.