Dog Health & Care

Help for Dogs with Chagas Disease

By Jackie Brown

, February 14, 2020

Vida Pharmacal announced the first cure for canine Chagas disease, also called American Trypanosomiasis, which is a zoonotic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoal parasite spread by bloodsucking insects (kissing bugs).

The disease, which causes heart failure and death, has long been common in Latin America, although it has recently been identified in the Southern United States. The results of a multicenter field study, which were published in August in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, detailed a treatment protocol that significantly increased improvement of symptoms and ability to survive infection with the disease.

Top photograph: Getty Images

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Tags: Dogster Magazine, Obsessions

Jackie Brown

Pet expert Jackie Brown has spent 20 years following her passion for animals as a writer and editor in the pet publishing industry. She is contributing writer for National Geographic’s Complete Guide to Pet Health, Behavior, and Happiness: The Veterinarian's Approach to At-Home Animal Care (April 2019) and author of the book It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: Making Sense of Animal Phrases (Lumina Press, 2006). Jackie is a regular contributor to pet and veterinary industry media and is the former editor of numerous pet magazines, including Dog World, Natural Dog, Puppies 101, Kittens 101 and the Popular Cats Series. Prior to starting her career in publishing, Jackie spent eight years working in veterinary hospitals where she assisted veterinarians as they treated dogs, cats, rabbits, pocket pets, reptiles, birds and one memorable lion cub. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons and miniature poodle Jäger. Reach her at jackiebrownwriter.wordpress.com.

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