Interesting Heartworm info

[jersey girl]

I know this topic has been discussed before...how often should heatworm meds be given. I got this link from another group I belong to. Thought it was a good read and wanted to pass it along. I will be making some changes for sure. http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2008/05/billion-dollar-heartworm-scam.html

 

[angelbears]

I agree totally and I live on the gulf coast. While there is a risk for us I feel the treatment is less dangerous than the preventative.

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/protecting-your-dog-from-heartworm/?inf_contact_key=b9f9d3b0efe575d0ec76600b434e423840a7c919c7459eba4971f2b84a19ea04

Along the same line as the article above.

 

[Saunders]

Thanks for posting this article link. I just bought 3 months heartworm medicine at the vet today for my EM and on the way home I wondered what others in Florida do for their dogs. I am like most others, don't care for the cost and don't want to give my dog something poisonous. I don't take any meds for myself unless absolutely required so I want the best for my big boy and (soon to bring home) toy poodle.

 

[LLJohnson10]

I'm in Florida, i've tried the 6 month heartworm shot before as well as the monthly doses of heartguard. I read an article some time ago, I can't recall its name, that questioned the necessity of heartworm meds. I hadn't given my dog any since and that was over a year ago. My boy has recently been tested for heartworm and was negative, the vet of course offered the shot again, to which I declined.

I'm not suggesting that others try this method, but I haven't had any problems. I'm still debating if I want to start the meds back or not. I pick up my puppy in less than 2 days, and that is one of the 2 remaining big issues that i'm wrestling with. I've already decided not to go with the neuter.

 

[angelbears]

I struggle with my decision all the time. Learn the symptoms of heartworms, ie.. a hacking cough. The earlier it is caught the easier the cure. Years ago I worked in a vet clinic and I can only remember one that may have died from heartworms and about 3 or 4 treated successfully.

 

[Saunders]

I'm in north Florida also. The idea in the first article of not treating during the winter months was what I had been thinking about myself. I was interested to read that 4X a year could possibly be adequate. I would probably have to decide based upon how hot a summer we have and how bad the mosquitoes are. We are in a rural area and our only relief some years from those little zingers is a screened in porch.

 

[spritemk3]

Working as a tech in a vet clinic, I have to say we do recommend heartworm preventative. Have you ever seen a dog in the final stages of heartworm disease? It is heartbreaking and incredibly painful for the pet. I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas and my father refused to give our Red Doberman preventative. I got to watch this poor dog suffer the final stages of the disease and was with her when we euthanized. I now live in Central Texas and missed our Border Collie's dose by about 2 weeks, sure enough he tested positive and had to have treatment. The guilt I felt over that one....the treatment is given intermuscularly in the muscle running next to the spine for several doses over time. Ouch. Not to mention having to stay crated for weeks as all the worms die in the heart and the dog can't get excited or exercise for fear of a mass migration. I will ALWAYS give heartworm, it only takes 1 mosquito and I don't want to have to put my pet through the painful treatments. Just my experience and two cents. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[musicdeb]

I do not give heartworm preventive to Titan. I never gave it to my past dogs who lived to be 13 yrs old and never got heartworm.

 

[angelbears]

I would be questioning the efficacy of the heartworm preventative you were giving if your Collie got heartworms after being late by only two weeks. There are now studies that show there are some strains of heartworm that are resistant to the preventative.

 

[Rugers-Kris]

Although, I do try not to give meds unless absolutely neccessary by titering rather than having the shots and so forth...I do give my boys heartworms every month and have (and will) their whole lives. I had a friend many years ago whose dog got heartworms and it was just horrible. I just can't not give it. I have grown and changed a lot of things and I have researched and read on both sides of it and at this point, I believe to give them is the best idea. It is definitely a personal decision.

 

[ruthcatrin]

we do every other month here. Revolution kills the baby worms, a lifestage that lasts 6 months. So every other month is plenty to take care of them.

 

[angelbears]

Just curious, has anyone done the heartworm treatment or know someone who has within the last couple of years? A big part of my decision is based on the assertion that heartworm treatment is not as bad on the dog as it used to be.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

We don't treat up here as the number of positive cases are few and far between (we are in a cold region) and I don't like to shove more chemicals into my dogs than they need. Our vet now advocates testing at the start of the season (April/May) and then testing in the fall (Sept/Oct).

 

[ruthcatrin]

I'm almost far enough north to do that....except we live next door to a swamp!

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

we live in a boggy marsh area and we still don't get any positive cases like they do in the US

 

[jersey girl]

I certainly agree it's a personal decision and if I lived in a region that was warm all year with lots of mosquitos it would be a different story. Crickett had her last dose in November and she will be off it until spring. Winter has arrived in NJ for sure. One other thing I found out is that Petco offers clinics in their stores almost every month. A heartworm test through them is only $33...I know my vet charges lots more than that. So if you don't give the heartworm often you can test the dog a couple times a year for a reasonable price.

 

[angelbears]

Also, don't forget, it works like the morning after pill. So, if you're out and realize that mosquitoes are a buzz, go ahead and give a dose. It does not prevent, it kills the larvae after the dog is infected. You also have at least 30 days and really more after the bite to give the dose.

 

[musicdeb]

I have Titan tested every year, as I did my other pups.

 

[DennasMom]

Cases in Washington State are so few and far between ("a handful of cases in the last decade), that I've never used any of the meds. I think we used one back in the 90's when we lived in Virginia... which was also a tick-infested region, so we were using all sorts of chemicals on our poor pets... but we don't have any of those nasties where we are now.

From: http://www.examiner.com/article/heartworm-seattle-part-3-of-3
"When discussing the once a month heartworm preventatives, it’s important to note they can actually be given once every seven or eight weeks. This is because the life cycle of the heartworm larvae is a 9-week cycle—you have to be sure to treat once during this 9-week phase to prevent maturation into the phase that is unaffected by the preventatives. The products are marketed as once a month as this is easier for most people to remember, but with good record keeping and diligence, it is just as easy to treat once every eight weeks. Also, keep the dose as minimal as possible—the actual dose of milbemycin (found in Interceptor and Sentinel) needed to control heartworm is .05 mg per pound of body weight. At this dose it will not control intestinal worms like roundworms or hookworms, but chances are this isn’t an issue anyway."