# What do you use for heartworm preventative?



## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

Ok, my big guys use Trifexis and have never had any issues. I give Yoshi and Chibi Sentinel as they were on Interceptor before they stopped selling that in Vets offices here. I like the Sentinel because like the Interceptor it has a weight for 2 to 10 lb dogs. With Gidget having the Rabies and then Sentinel the next day and her legs doing what they did, now I am kind of worried about giving her the Sentinel just in case.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Following along in this thread. We've only ever used Interceptor for Odie but now we're out. Curious to see what everyone is using.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I always used Interceptor and was really aggravated when Novartis stopped making it and went to Sentinel. I just really don't want to be forced to treat for fleas if they are not an issue. I now use Heartgard.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

I use heartguard. Mine get it every 6 weeks and only hot months


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I use heartguard plus too. I just like the old tried and true meds. The new ones just seem to come up with problems. Give me an old standby anyday. 

Oh, and I DO cut the heartguard chews into thirds. I know people will say "they don't all have the medicine distributed within them equally!" Well if you've ever seen medications developed, it is absolutely impossible for that to be true. Again, another way to dupe the public.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

What weight is the heart guard for? I absolutely don't want to medicate for fleas as fleas are extremely rare here, it's too dry. 


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

0-25lbs but I have heard some will only give half the chew instead of whole


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## Saqqara (Feb 14, 2013)

I give Cai HeartGuard Plus. I was giving the whole dose every 45 days, but we've had an unusually cold winter this year. There has barely been a mosquito in site. I haven't given him one since December. I need more so will pick some up at his next visit in early April.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I do 1/3 of a heartguard plus tab every 45 days during HOT months only. For us, that's only about 4-5 months a year.


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## CuddlesMom (Feb 22, 2014)

Cuddles will be getting her test this weekend, but I'll probably buy the medication (Heartgard) online. The vet was trying to persuade me to buy Sentinel for her, but since I'll be using Frontline for both fleas and ticks, I don't want to give her that much medication. All our dogs get their heartworm meds in the warmer months. I'm glad to see a lot of other Chi owners are the same way, since vets really push for medicating year-round. I hate giving the dogs so many pesticides


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

We only have four hot months here as well. My vet recommended only dosing every 3 months because that's how long the heartworm life cycle is, so that's what we've always done. Does anyone else only dose every three months?


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## charchi (Apr 17, 2012)

Hey Crystal, I,m a bit of a dummie, could you please explain to me about only dosing every 3 months ,i know your in Canada and I,m in Australia, so that might make a difference with dosing, we proberly get hot weather longer here, but if you only dose every 3 months does this mean you have to have them tested all the time before you give them the treatment again? I dont like overdosing either, thanks .


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## Barracuda51 (Oct 7, 2012)

Was using Heart Guard Plus last yr but switched over to using Revolution this yr.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

In VA the norm is April to October as we are warm longer and our weather can be up and down so I just watch the weather. We have been so cold this year no one has had any yet.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

I give Lulu every 45 days, but I dose year round. Since I killed a live mosquito in my bathroom in December, I don't take chances. My vet is also very careful when it comes to these types of products. There are several he won't even carry because he just feels they are not safe, but he assures me Heartgard is fine for Lulu even though it does say up to 25 lbs and she is 6 lbs. I have not discussed cutting it in anyway, but where we live I would rather be safe than sorry.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

lulu'smom said:


> I give Lulu every 45 days, but I dose year round. Since I killed a live mosquito in my bathroom in December, I don't take chances. My vet is also very careful when it comes to these types of products. There are several he won't even carry because he just feels they are not safe, but he assures me Heartgard is fine for Lulu even though it does say up to 25 lbs and she is 6 lbs. I have not discussed cutting it in anyway, but where we live I would rather be safe than sorry.


You are in Alabama LOL you need to go year round!


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Huly said:


> You are in Alabama LOL you need to go year round!


Yep! I'm OK with every 45 days, but that's as brave as I get!


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## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

Ok, new question then. If you only use them lets say 3 to 6 months out of the year, do you have them tested before giving them again after them being off of the meds for a certain period of time? I have read that if you give heartworm meds and they have heartworms it can kill them so I would think you would need to have them tested each time before starting them up again?


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Heartworm meds do not prevent heartworm it kills any that are already there. We still test yearly.


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## Yoshismom (Jul 6, 2005)

Hmmmm, I thought I had read that it will kill but is mostly a preventative and that if it is given at certain points when the dog already has heartworms then it can kill the dog? I thought this was why they had to be tested and be negative for heartworms before being put on a preventative? Now I am really confused, LOL! I will have to go back and read up some more. It has been a few years since I researched ;-)


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

Yoshismom said:


> Hmmmm, I thought I had read that it will kill but is mostly a preventative and that if it is given at certain points when the dog already has heartworms then it can kill the dog? I thought this was why they had to be tested and be negative for heartworms before being put on a preventative? Now I am really confused, LOL! I will have to go back and read up some more. It has been a few years since I researched ;-)


Read this thread (mostly comments) a lot of people explain it better than I can but it does not prevent.

http://www.chihuahua-people.com/chihuahua-health/134482-dnm-protecting-your-dog-heartworm.html


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

charchi said:


> Hey Crystal, I,m a bit of a dummie, could you please explain to me about only dosing every 3 months ,i know your in Canada and I,m in Australia, so that might make a difference with dosing, we proberly get hot weather longer here, but if you only dose every 3 months does this mean you have to have them tested all the time before you give them the treatment again? I dont like overdosing either, thanks .



Yes, you would definitely get hotter weather for longer! We live in a pandemic area because there are so many lakes around here and mosquitos love it. The way it was explained to me was that the heartworm life cycle is so long that dosing every 3 months is okay because the heartworms are not at the adult stage by that point (can't use heartworm meds on a dog that has adult heartworms). 

Here's an article that explains it better:
http://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11015045-are-drug-companies-honest-about-heartworm



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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

That's what I understood as well. It's confusing to me too so I was waiting to see what people said like you were about giving for 3 or 4 months during warm months only. I guess the answer may be test just before those 3 or 4 warm months. 


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

lulu'smom said:


> That's what I understood as well. It's confusing to me too so I was waiting to see what people said like you were about giving for 3 or 4 months during warm months only. I guess the answer may be test just before those 3 or 4 warm months.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Apparently there IS a benefit to living in the freezing cold for half the year. Haha. The way I understand it is that if you dose every 3 months in the summer that testing isn't needed because there's no chance of having not dosed during when heartworm would be a problem. I wonder if it's better to dose right at the end of the hot season? I'm going to ask about this when we get new medication for this year. I'm really tempted to just test instead of medicating, but I'm a bit scared of that because we do like to get out and go places where we get eaten alive by mosquitoes in the summer.


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