# Are Heartworm meds necessary?



## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

My vet has NEVER mentioned anything about giving heart worm preventatives to my dogs. I have taken Lion to 2 vets in town, and neither has suggested it. They both have tried to push flea preventatives on me, but I don't give those to my dogs unless they actually have fleas. 

I live in Oregon, and it gets pretty cold in the winter, but spring/summer is warm, and we do have mosquitos so I think heart worm preventative would be a good idea. What do you guys think? Also, what kind of heart worm meds does everyone use?


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Yes, its very important to get them tested and then to put them on the preventative. 
the Vets will tell you to give pills once a month, but once every 45 days is good for the Heartgaurd, i'm not sure about the other brands


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## theshanman97 (Feb 19, 2012)

im not sure as well! my mum and nan have had dogs ALL their lives and never gave it! , i think its cause we had crap vets :/ and plus theres no where to get them!


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

I don't give it to mine because we live in a very dry desert area. Here is a map, it shows the incidents of heartworm in each state. Talk to your vet, then decide for yourself if it is something that you want to guard against.

KNOW Heartworms | Incidence Map

This is an interesting read, too:

- Terrierman's Daily Dose -


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## theshanman97 (Feb 19, 2012)

svdreamer said:


> I don't give it to mine because we live in a very dry desert area. Here is a map, it shows the incidents of heartworm in each state. Talk to your vet, then decide for yourself if it is something that you want to guard against.
> 
> KNOW Heartworms | Incidence Map
> 
> ...


only if there was a map for the UK


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

theshanman97 said:


> only if there was a map for the UK


It says you don't have heartworms in the UK, a couple of dogs brought into the country came with them, but it is not usual for your country.


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

double post


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## theshanman97 (Feb 19, 2012)

svdreamer said:


> It says you don't have heartworms in the UK, a couple of dogs brought into the country came with them, but it is not usual for your country.


oh lol , i swear i heard that there is some here :scratch: lol


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## elaina (Jul 1, 2008)

Pam, is the map you posted for both Felines and Canines or just Felines? i dont think heartworm is as common in cats. 
maybe in your state its not common. do you have mosquitos at all?
around here it is important. 
i have known people who have had dogs who were not on the preventative and had to get the treatment. it was very expensive, and very tough on the dog. 
also, i used to work at a Veteranary clinic and was trained to look at the blood under the microscope to find heartworm, and i have found it


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## svdreamer (Feb 20, 2010)

Oops. Sorry, I posted the cat one. Here's the dog map. I live in the big empty white area in the middle of CA. The biggest infestation is back east and down south. The OP is from Oregon. I wasn't saying there is not a bad problem in other areas, I was saying the west coast does not have a big problem at this time.


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## doginthedesert (Oct 10, 2011)

It is pretty simple- of you have mosquitoes you have heartworm, if you don't have mosquitoes then you don't have heartworm! Around here in the desert we don't have mosquitoes so we don't have a problem. Most places in the country do have them at least part of the year.


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## Audreybabypup (Sep 14, 2010)

All my girls are on Heartguard. It takes care of other worms too not just heartworms, so I like it and it gives me piece of mind.


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## ~LS~ (Oct 29, 2011)

I use Advantage Multi, we have the mosquitoes, we have the ticks, we have the
fleas, we have it all, this treatment prevents heartworm, and is against fleas,
ticks, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. We have rescues, we go to dog
parks, we go on hikes in forests and mountains, we go up north into the "wild",
so prevention is a must. I get my dogs tested for heartworm once per two years.


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I will be taking them into the clinic this week for heart worm testing and meds. The clinic only sells Tri-heart so I will get that, but after they go to their new vet when I move I will look at other options.


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## LostLakeLua (Sep 6, 2009)

I like Tri-Heart. I use a little more than a tablet each month; for all 6 dogs. Since there's a chance the meds aren't evenly distributed throughout the pill; I have a grinder which pulverizes a single small dose tablet (up to 25lbs each) and instead give each dog 10lbs worth. A little extra for each dog; but still, less than half the original would-be dosage of 25lbs worth of meds, on my 4-7lb dogs. It goes a long way too, but I get each tested every 3 years or so as a precaution. It
s a regimen I feel comfortable with after the information I've sought out. I still round up the dose a bit, just as a precaution, especially as we will be living close to a lake this summer so lots of skeeters... icky..


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## nabi (Nov 25, 2004)

I use Revolution..monthly for 6 months.....fleas, ear mites, mange mites, ticks, prevention of heartworm disease, aids in treatment and control of roundworms


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