Posted: June 23, 2009, 3 a.m. EDT
The second annual Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) Education Road Show is set to take place from June 27 to July 11, making eight stops in four states: Colorado, California, Oregon and Washington.
The nonprofit is touring the West in a 33-foot-long RV and will provide free events open to the public. Parasitologists and veterinarians with CAPC will educate pet owners and families about zoonotic diseases (those that are transmitted from pets to people) and how to prevent them.
Parasites are a growing problem in the West, according to CAPC.
“There are parasites and zoonotic disease, sometimes a higher-than-expected incidence, in every Western city on our Road Show schedule,” said Michael Paul, DVM, executive director of CAPC. “Parasites can be found in all 50 states, every day of the year, regardless of the weather.”
Heartworm and other common parasitic diseases were virtually non-existent in the West 50 years ago, according to CAPC. However, the changing landscape and influx of people from different parts of the country are helping these diseases spread more rapidly. Many people relocating to the West bring cats and dogs that already have parasites, CAPC said.
The CAPC recommends that pet owners use preventive medicine year-round to control internal and external parasites (i.e. roundworms, heartworms, fleas and ticks) for the life of their cat or dog, no matter where they live.
“If you prevent parasitic infections in companion animals, you greatly reduce the chances of zoonotic transmission to people,” Dr. Paul said.
The CAPC Road Show schedule is as follows:
June 27, from 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., in Denver at Denver Dumb Friends League, an animal welfare nonprofit.
July 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in San Diego at the Petco Park Dog Park.
July 3, from noon to 5:30 p.m., in Long Beach, Calif., at the Long Beach Dog Park.
July 5, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., in San Francisco at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Maddie Center.
July 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., in San Francisco at Justin Herman Plaza.
July 7, from noon to 5 p.m., in Sacramento at I Street in Old Sacramento.
July 9, from noon to 4 p.m., in Eugene, Ore., at Alton Baker Park.
July 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., in Seattle at Pike Place Market.
For schedule details, visit the CAPC website.
Event sponsors are Bayer Healthcare Animal Health, IDEXX Laboratories, Merial Limited, Novartis Animal Health, Pfizer Animal Health, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Eli Lilly and Company, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, Summit VetPharm, VCA ANTECH, and Virbac Animal Health.