question on heart worms

[gracie may]

im not really sure on this one because im a fairly new owner of a yorkie, only because ive had a cat forever, but when and how do you give medicine for heartworms. is that done yearly or monthly or even at all, thanks for your input. Gracie and Kellie

[Ellie May]

A blood test needs to be done before starting the med and most vets repeat yearly. It is given monthly as a pill, chew or over-the-shoulder application.

The ones I'd consider are Interceptor, Sentinel, Heartgard or Heartgard Plus.
Most of the other ones I would not trust at all.

[txrosegirl]

the dogs need to be tested first by their vet and then they are given a monthly heartworm medicine.

[jp4m2]

Originally Posted by gracie may

im not really sure on this one because im a fairly new owner of a yorkie, only because ive had a cat forever, but when and how do you give medicine for heartworms. is that done yearly or monthly or even at all, thanks for your input. Gracie and Kellie

Heartworm med's are pesticides just as flea treatments are.......They are processed by the liver and kidneys so if your going to use these products, when it comes to administering them they should be used as little as possible to get the job done.....Space these products and any vaccines weeks apart so the body is not overwhelmed by all the chemicals.......

The transmission of heartworm larvae to a dog cannot happen until the temp. over 57 degrees for more than two weeks....this is a quote from a heartworm article.......

"If your goal is to provide full protection for your dog with minimal drug administration, you'll have to monitor the temperatures in your area. Mosquitoes may be capable of transmitting heartworm larvae to your dog around two weeks after your local temperature has stayed above 57 degrees Fahrenheit day and night.

Give the season’s first dose of preventative four to six weeks after that to destroy any larvae that infected your dog during that time. Thus, the first dose should be given six to eight weeks after daytime and nighttime temperatures first exceed 57°F. Continue to give the preventative every four to six weeks, with the last dose given after temperatures drop below that level on a regular basis."


This link has two maps that gives you a guide as to when to start the products and when to stop them...

Citadel Tibetan Mastiffs Heartworm Timing

The heartworm products protection lasts longer than the 30 days we are told. The vets tell you 30 days to make it easier for you to remember but the goal should be to give them as little as possible.....One dose is really good for 45 -60 days as stated by the FDA....

"The FDA approvals cite studies showing that Heartgard, Interceptor and Revolution provide protection beyond 30 days. If you are very good about remembering to give medications, and you can watch your dog after administering the pill to be sure that it is not spit out or later vomited, it may be safe to use heartworm preventatives less frequently than every 30 days. Dosing your dog every 45 days is a conservative way to stretch your dog's dosage schedule.

The original FDA approval for Heartgard states, “The target dose of 6 mcg per kilogram of bodyweight was selected from titration study 10855 as the lowest dose providing 100% protection when the dosing interval was extended to 60 days to simulate a missed-dose circumstance.”

The original FDA approval for Interceptor states, “Complete (100%) protection was achieved in dogs treated at 30 days post infection, with 95% protection at 60 and 90 days."

The original FDA approval for Revolution states, “Selamectin applied topically as a single dose of 3 or 6 mg/kg was 100% effective in preventing the maturation of heartworms in dogs following inoculation with infective D. immitis larvae 30 or 45 days prior to treatment, and 6 mg/kg [the recommended dosage amount] was 100% effective in preventing maturation of heartworms following inoculation of infective larvae 60 days prior to treatment.”

[gracie may]

thanks for all you info, i was just wondering if this was a necessary thing to do for gracie, plus the weather here is still on the chilly side.

Gracie and Kellie

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by gracie may

thanks for all you info, i was just wondering if this was a necessary thing to do for gracie, plus the weather here is still on the chilly side.

Gracie and Kellie

It is the opinion of most vets (and me, just a Yorkie owner ) that yes, it is necessary pesticide or not. Some are mor effective than others though.

[MaddiesMommie]

I agree with Crystal...btw cute baby

[Lolapup]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

It is the opinion of most vets (and me, just a Yorkie owner ) that yes, it is necessary pesticide or not. Some are mor effective than others though.

I agree totally. Some are effective for more than heart worms. Some also protect against parasites etc.

[jp4m2]

Originally Posted by gracie may

thanks for all you info, i was just wondering if this was a necessary thing to do for gracie, plus the weather here is still on the chilly side.

Gracie and Kellie

You are correct when the temp. is below 57 degrees is impossible to transmit heartworm....The link I provided indicates you may be able to wait til June to start if you choose to do so......

Heartguard Plus adds a chemical called pyrantel, it's for parasites.....I see no need to administer this every month because your pet may have worms when a simple fecal test run at the vets would tell you if treatment was needed.......Why administer a treatment for parasites when you don't know if there's a problem?..

This is not a black and white issue.....There are many variables to consider as in: where do you live?, how at risk are you?, the temp. outside, the health of your pet (administering chemicals to an already ill pet would put them at additional risks), etc.etc... Here is a map to see how at risk you are.....

Heartworm Map

Some people just do sprays to keep the mosquitoes away, after all that is the goal, no mosquitoes equals no risk of heartworm......there are natural sprays for the yard and for the pet like these.....

Happytails Flea the Scene Insect Spray with Sunscreen: PL50029_Happytails_Spa_Flea_The_Scene Paw Luxury

Mosquito Repellent | Tick Repellent | Natural Mosquito Control by Mosquito Barrier

Sorry for the long posts and links but I like to do a lot of reading when it comes to things like this, I try and not let fear of the unknown and the what if's drive me to make a decision.....

[mily]

Hi everyone

I was just reading this and is very interesting. Thank you for the person who started this topic and for all the great answers. I am learning a lot I was under the impresion that I had to give it every 30 days. I am getting a new yorkie 10 weeks old in 2 weeks and I live in central FL close to the coast . But I was suprise to see that we do have warm climate almost all year round yet on the map it only show as not having that many cases . Most are in the carolinas. That was weird. I thought the heartworm was transmitted by mosquistos and boy do we have mosquitos here. I am of the side of no pesticides but since I live in FL I really don't know what to do with the heartguard. I should give it right? I was really debating on this. I think even though I would hate to give this to my puppy I think I have to since here alsmost all year round is above 70. I think I may just space it to 45 days. What do you all think?

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by mily

Hi everyone

I was just reading this and is very interesting. Thank you for the person who started this topic and for all the great answers. I am learning a lot I was under the impresion that I had to give it every 30 days. I am getting a new yorkie 10 weeks old in 2 weeks and I live in central FL close to the coast . But I was suprise to see that we do have warm climate almost all year round yet on the map it only show as not having that many cases . Most are in the carolinas. That was weird. I thought the heartworm was transmitted by mosquistos and boy do we have mosquitos here. I am of the side of no pesticides but since I live in FL I really don't know what to do with the heartguard. I should give it right? I was really debating on this. I think even though I would hate to give this to my puppy I think I have to since here alsmost all year round is above 70. I think I may just space it to 45 days. What do you all think?

It is my opinion that you should give it for what that's worth.
That doesn't mean you'd have to give Heartgard Plus.
You could go with just Heartgard or Interceptor.
With both you are still giving more chemicals than necessary but really unless your vet will get Ivermectin and measure it out for you, it's the only way.

You can talk to your vet and the company about the grace period if you forget to give a dose (like it's okay to be 15 days late or whatever without retesting) and just give it then instead of monthly... If you don't give it every 30 days, if your pup gets heartworms while being on the drug, the company is very unlikely to pay for treatment though.

I'd rather prevent it than treat it because treating it involves injections of an arsenic compound and the process isn't very safe...