Is it on the rise? Uh, what are some things that we should be made aware of with heartworm in general?

Yeah.

I, I think, uh, before I get into the resistance is, is kind of one of the things is, is compliance.

Um, and that's one of the toughest things.

Um, you know, I think an owner sometimes has a hard time visualizing exactly the extent of damage that heartworms can do and why it's so important.

Uh, I really advocate, uh, for all of our DVM students when they get into practice, is to either purchase or some-- whether doing a necropsy on a coyote or a dog that actually has heartworms, is to save that heart in a clear A formalin container in their exam room so the owners can see the damage and the amount and the s- And so I think sometimes that, um, amount of shock value can make them realize the importance and, and how lucky we are to have a preventative for, uh, such an important disease, you know? Um, other things I, I would advocate is, uh, making sure, uh, veterinarians are, uh, saying the right language.

Uh, one of the things I think sometimes can get tripped up is if you're seeing a stray dog or a dog that has, um, you know, has a unknown heartworm preventative history, uh, and you do your, your antigen test and Knott's test, uh, you may be initially tempted to say the dog's negative heartworms.

Uh, uh, and speaking of treatments, are, are there treatments available for this parasite? Does melarsomine work for this one, or is it something different?