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Protect Your Dogs
A neighbor’s dog was recently diagnosed with heartworms. I decided to contact Dr. Simon Escalada, who has been a veterinarian in Nogales for many years, to see if it would be advisable to alert the general public. He stated that he has treated two cases from the Patagonia area recently but historically, heartworm was almost never encountered. Although, two cases may not seem like it should cause concern, it is easy to infer that there are other animals in the community which have not been diagnosed or treated.
The parasite is spread by mosquitoes and primarily infects canids such as coyotes and dogs, but cats can also be infested. Even though mosquitoes have been essentially nonexistent in the region since last autumn, it can take up to three years for heartworm symptoms to manifest. If your pet has a cough and/or appears to have lost interest in taking a walk, fetching a ball or other physical activity, it would be advisable to visit your veterinarian, as heartworms can eventually cause death.
There are preventative medications available, but it is important to have your pet tested before administering them as they need to be taken regularly and can be rather expensive. Most importantly, they do not kill adult heartworms so they afford no benefit to a pet which is already infected. You can find more information at akc.org/expert-advice/health/heartworm-in-dogs-symptoms-diagnosis-treatment.
Jac Heiss
Patagonia
Recycling Update
You may have noticed that the Town of Patagonia’s recycling center closed early a couple Thursdays in the last six weeks. We apologize for that inconvenience of gathering and bringing all your recyclables and then being turned away. After brainstorming some options and finding a solution to accommodate this popular and growing service we hope you will be pleased. We are in the planning phase to DOUBLE the yard space that holds our existing bins.
We will have a third Republic bin placed and leave space for more growth. We hope to begin construction on the yard space in the beginning of May. Thank you, Patagonia, for being such dedicated recyclers and making this program a true success!
Summer Smith
Patagonia Recycling Coordinator