Our Chagas Veterinary Seminar is Now Available on YouTube

Dr. Madigan presented a three-part seminar on Chagas disease to colleagues as part of Lone Star Veterinary Academy’s continuing education webinar series. Seventy-six veterinarians attended the virtual presentation and enthusiastically participated in the question-and-answer sessions after each module. The entire presentation is now available on YouTube.

Dr. Madigan’s presentation outlined three knowledge components that are important for veterinarians in identifying, diagnosing, and treating canine Chagas patients:

Chagas Disease: History and Epidemiology: Cause of Chagas, disease vector and species, geographic distribution, path of transmission, history of Chagas disease, canine prevalence, and environmental control
Chagas Disease: Recognizing the Signs: Pathogenesis, progressive fibrosis and heart failure, and clinical symptoms, oral transmission and increased clinical response, symptoms in felines and humans, public health implications, diagnostics, arrhythmias
Chagas Disease: Treatment and Follow-up: Treatment length, drug options, efficacy, drug synthesis, monitoring, supportive care, case studies, and testing

Chagas disease in dogs is widespread across the US and across companion, working, and shelter dogs.

Although diagnoses of Chagas disease in dogs are outpacing cases of heartworm and tick-borne diseases, awareness of Chagas disease is low among dog owners. Many veterinarians have not encountered Chagas disease in their patients—or had the information and tools to correctly identify and diagnose it when it’s present. Because symptoms can range from lethargy, a swollen limb, or decreased appetite to heart disease or sudden death, it can masquerade as other, more well-known pathologies.

The seminar series also includes case studies of actual canine patients, along with Dr. Madigan’s approach to diagnosis and treatment for each. Although the presentation was originally developed for veterinary continuing education, breeders, rescue organization staff, and pet owners will also find the series fascinating and valuable for their own canine families.