# Heartworm Meds??



## Raguilar209 (Jul 6, 2009)

Fiona is 5 mos old. Should I start giving her heartworm medicine monthly? Is it really necessary? Am I to assume that she is to get heartworm and flea & tick meds monthly from here on end? This is new to me and I want to get it right. Thanks


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## Tink (Oct 14, 2009)

Your Vet should be advising you on this. 

Jazz is a puppy, she was started on Heartworm meds at 13 weeks. 

And yes, you should be giving her Heartworm medicine monthly, as a preventative.

I have no fleas or ticks in my garden (which is amazing considering I live in the South) so I don't have Tango or Jazz on flea & tick meds. Before I moved here (and before I had Jazz) Tango was on monthly flea and tick meds because we had fleas there. But even then, I didn't apply the meds in the colder months because fleas go dormant when it gets cold, and I prefer to not put meds/chemicals in their system if I can possibly avoid it. 

Assuming you live in a climate or area in which fleas and ticks are prevalent, and your dog goes outside, I'd put her on flea and tick meds.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Yes, I would recommend giving her HW meds monthly. I give them to my pups every 45 days, year round. If you have fleas where you live I would treat her regularly for those as well. They can get tape worms from them, and they easily become an infestation.


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## TLI (Sep 3, 2008)

Oh, and if you start treating her after 6 months of age she'll need a HW test before you start preventative.


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## magtru (Feb 18, 2009)

*heart worm meds for dogs*

I use Interceptor once a month. I do not give flea/tick meds because I think it is all so crazy and I hate medicating her. I use a natural flea oil on her and you can give her a clove of crushed garlic (small one) in her food. This is supposed to repel fleas. I love the natural route when possible. Garlic rules and is good for so many things. We don't have our dog run through woods and grass too much so you need to decide for yourself. I would try natural remedies first. I avoid BIG PHARMA as much as possible.


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## lynx8456 (Feb 26, 2009)

I use heart guard once a month and Jasper just
loves them. We started Jasper @ 4 months
per the vets advice.


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## Raguilar209 (Jul 6, 2009)

Fiona's vet recommended Revoultion. Anyone heard of that one? I have one more dose of Promeris then I will go buy Revolution next month.


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

we use sentinel...although it doesnt cover tapeworms though...so in a result we got tapesworms LOL...then used the stuff at petsmart and its gone  although sentinel is $60 for i think 6 months....i'm due to buy more soon  sigh! it has flea and heartworm combined in the pill...along with hookworms and such


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

One thing to remember on flea preventative and heartworm... it is an insecticide, a poison that the dogs are ingesting. It can have kidney and liver consequences. 

You have to weigh the risks and benefits. I'd definitely do some research and see how prevalent heartworm is in your state and county. Do you see tons of mosquitos everywhere? That's how it's transmitted. No mosquitos... no heartworm.

Same with fleas. Are they everywhere? Or do you rarely ever see one.

I like to keep things as natural as possible and avoid insecticides if I can. I test in the spring before mosquito season and then give the preventative every 45 days until the first frost. When the frost comes, the mosquitos die. I don't give the heartworm pills in the winter when there are NO mosquitos. 

Remember, your vet gets paid for the heartworm and flea treatment you buy. Along with the tests they run, etc. I'm not saying that they are in it for the money, because good ones aren't. But you can certainly ask your vet how many heartworm cases has he treated in the last year. And was that a dog that was left outside all the time? 

I usually don't use a flea topical unless I see one. Or if Brody will be going to a park or a lake where there are lots of high grasses and unknowns. 

Do what you are comfortable with. And do the research and decide what is best for you and your dog.

brodysmom


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## lynx8456 (Feb 26, 2009)

Good advice !


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## roughhouse (Mar 1, 2009)

I don't treat for fleas and ticks. I have lived here for more than three years and Bo has never had a single flea on him so I don't want to use meds if they aren't needed. My dogs get heartguard for about 8 months out of the year. November through February I give them a break from it since there are no mosquitoes in northeast Ohio during that time and again I don't want to use meds that aren't needed. Neeci started heartguard at 4 months per my vet. She was getting it every 30 days but after reading on here I am going to ask about every 45 days so she isn't getting so much.


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## Raguilar209 (Jul 6, 2009)

Brodysmom -"One thing to remember on flea preventative and heartworm... it is an insecticide, a poison that the dogs are ingesting. It can have kidney and liver consequences." OK so that sentence scared me into not wanting to give Fiona heartworm meds at all. !! I hadn't thought of long term affects that it would have on her kidneys and liver. WOW. Thank you to everyone who responded. Now I must really think about what months are necessary for flea/tick medicine and I must do more research on the heartworm medicine. THANKS


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## *Tricia* (Dec 1, 2007)

Raguilar - Brodysmom is correct, but notice that she DOES give Brody heartworm preventative. It is very important, because heartworm is a killer. You live in California, so I'm guessing you do have mosquitos. All is takes is one mosquito bite to make Fiona very ill. I use Interceptor tabs - they are made for dogs 2-10 pounds, so I don't feel like I'm over-dosing her (she's nearly 6 pounds). Please discuss it with your vet. As for the flea and tick meds, we don't use those, because we don't have issues with fleas and ticks.


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## Kiffany (May 26, 2006)

*heartworm meds*

the ingredient in heartworm preventor is ivermetin 

I have it in liquid form and weigh my dogs each month and give the exact dose they need which is far less than what comes in the chewing pills.

the chewing pills are given for a weight range for example 1-20lbs. So you are giving a dog that weighs five lbs. the 20 lb. dose.

I would not advise a flee preventor. Flees are not going to harm your dog if detected right away. You may never have flees. I would only treat if needed.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Raguilar - I don't mean to or want to scare you out of giving heartworm preventative! I am just saying to do your research and give it when heartworm is a problem in your area. I DO give Brody heartworm preventative as Tricia pointed out.  I don't give it year round because once we have a frost - the mosquitos are gone until spring. 

Brodysmom


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## MoochiBaby (Sep 12, 2009)

Hi everyone, just want to add my two cents. There is a great natural treatment for heartworms. It is called Heartworm Free. Here is their website, if anyone is interested. 

http://www.heartwormfree.com/

Also heartwrom preventions do not actually prevent your dog from getting heartworms. Mosquitos are still going to bite dogs regardless if they are medicated. Also, heartworms become dangerous only as reproductive adults, and most heartworms die out without reproducing. It is very slim that a mosquito carry both reproductive pairs of heartworms and that both male and female reach sexual stages where it becomes a problem. I believe that also if the temperature drops to a certain degrees, heartworm growth cycle has to start all over again. So with costly monthly medication, you don't really prevent your dog from exposure and the medicine itself is poisonous. Many dogs develope liver, kidney, and auto immune failures later on as a direct result of over medication. Dogs, like humans have natural defenses, where the body can help defend against invaders. When you kill the bad one, you also eliminate the good ones too. So in turn, it is more harm than good. I choose the natural way of keeping my pets healthy. I don't use any flea/tick or heartworm medication and I also don't do annual vacination. But if my dog do get sick, I choose to cure her with natural remedies.


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## Quinn (Dec 11, 2008)

MoochiBaby said:


> Hi everyone, just want to add my two cents. There is a great natural treatment for heartworms. It is called Heartworm Free. Here is their website, if anyone is interested.
> 
> http://www.heartwormfree.com/


Have you used or know someone who has used this with actual positive results? Curious because on another forum I know someone who rescued an older HW+ dog with possible other issue and so they are probably not doing a normal treatment.


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## lilsunshine0304 (Sep 26, 2009)

I have a lot of mosquitoes so I treat monthly for heart worm, I use Sentinel. My vet wanted me to use the Program Flea control for the dogs, but I didn't like it because it doesn't prevent against ticks and I leave near a wooded area... so that just wouldn't work. So I use the K9 Advantix and I use the Kenic shampoo on the dogs so the flea drops don't wash off.


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## MoochiBaby (Sep 12, 2009)

Quinn said:


> Have you used or know someone who has used this with actual positive results? Curious because on another forum I know someone who rescued an older HW+ dog with possible other issue and so they are probably not doing a normal treatment.


Yes, I know a few people in a raw forum that have used it and they claim that it does work. There is no harm in trying. It is natural. It takes longer than chemical heartworm medication but the dogs don't get the side effects that most dogs get when they are on conventional heartworm medicine.


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## chiboyz1 (Aug 11, 2009)

we use heartgard and have for many years now. it's a once a month chew-type 'pill.' since my dog is really small i cut them into two pieces, so a 3 month supply ends up being a 6 month supply. it saves me a lot of $.


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## Kiffany (May 26, 2006)

*cutting heartworm meds*

You actually are not suppose to cut the beef heartworm tablets because the ingredients are not evenly distributed. Cutting them in half does not half the dose. You could end of giving one half that has little to no meds.


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## Stewbs (Jan 23, 2013)

> Also heartwrom preventions do not actually prevent your dog from getting heartworms. Mosquitos are still going to bite dogs regardless if they are medicated. Also, heartworms become dangerous only as reproductive adults, and most heartworms die out without reproducing. It is very slim that a mosquito carry both reproductive pairs of heartworms and that both male and female reach sexual stages where it becomes a problem. I believe that also if the temperature drops to a certain degrees, heartworm growth cycle has to start all over again. So with costly monthly medication, you don't really prevent your dog from exposure and the medicine itself is poisonous.


I just want to let you know that I am pleased that you have taken it upon yourself to learn about heartworms and about certain aspects of the lifecycle of parasitic infection(s). That said, there are certain truths that you selectively omit from your argument against heartworm prophylaxis that I think should be rebutted for full fairness of those reading this.

1. Your first line is misleading. Heartworm preventive meds do prevent INFECTION. They do not, however, prevent inoculation or introduction of hte parasite into the host. By the same argument, prophylaxis for malaria does not prevent the plasmodium from physically entering your body when bitten by mosquito carriers, but it does prevent that inoculation from creating infection. Infection is when an inoculation of a pathogen creates a disease process, and that is what is worthwhile to prevent.

2. While you have created a great theoretical argument for why inoculation and infection is unlikely, the facts simply do not support your argument. The American Heartworm Society states the following:

"*In experimentally induced infections of heartworms in dogs, the percentage of infective larvae developing to adults is high (40% to 90%). However, the percentage of experimentally infected dogs from which adult worms are recovered is virtually 100%.* The number of worms infecting a dog can be very high, with the number of worms in dogs ranging from one to approximately 250."

What this means is that if your dog is exposed via a mosquito vector carrying heartworm, it is VERY likely it will progress to active disease.



> Many dogs develop liver, kidney, and auto immune failures later on as a direct result of over medication. Dogs, like humans have natural defenses, where the body can help defend against invaders. When you kill the bad one, you also eliminate the good ones too. So in turn, it is more harm than good. I choose the natural way of keeping my pets healthy. I don't use any flea/tick or heartworm medication and I also don't do annual vacination. But if my dog do get sick, I choose to cure her with natural remedies.


I do not want to criticize your decisions, but choosing to prevent a common and potentially lethal condition is often thought to outweight the decidedly lesser likelihood of developing problems. Make no mistake, vaccinations and preventive medication can induce problems, but these risks are outweighed by the benefit of prophylaxis and immunization. I would advise making sure you minimise these risks to necessary ones. For instance, request that your dog be on the minimum immunizations possible and utilize serum (blood) titers to assess for immunity rather than giving scheduled boosters (exception: rabies). Also make sure you're going to a vet (or a people doctor for yourself) that is using up-to-date guidelines. It is not a crime to ask the vet what practice guidelines he or she utilizes and where you can find them.

What you get by using mainstream veterinary medicine is evidence-based care. While the agents confer a degree of risk, that risk is KNOWN and documented and the benefits have been proven through clinical trials. If you choose natural remedies, there is often little evidence to prove their efficacy so while you may minimize risk (you have no way of knowing this -- being "natural" does not mean safe -- for example, peach pits are natural but contain arsenic) you may also be unsure the benefit you are actually providing.

Just my opinion. I'm a DO not a VMD or DVM.


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