Yup, it was the chewable.
Something is just bothering me about it though (don't really know what
).
It seems like there are more reactions with Heartgard but maybe I'm missing something.
I had never heard of Heartgard causes testing to show up as false negative and I don't know if I believe the person who wrote that.
I think Ellie's vet does the antigen test.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yorkieluv  It looks like the issues one of the posters has on that site is with the chewable Heartgard, not the pill. The pill supposedly has a more uniform distribution of the heartworm preventative, and it does not need to be chewed.
Later another poster says that Heartgard makes heartworms sterile and that because of that, the Knotts test may be negative. According to Heartgard tablet product information, heartgard eliminates the tissue stage of heartworm larvae. It says nothing about making heartworm sterile.
Also, the most common test for heartworm is not the Knotts test, it is actually the Antigen Test which looks for the presence of a protein given of by sexually mature female worms producing microfilaria.
The following link is very informative: Heartworm Disease In Dogs and Cats... Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment for Heartworm Disease In ThePetCenter.com
The following info comes from Heartgard tablet product information: http://heartgard.us.merial.com/downl...nformation.pdf PRECAUTIONS: All dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infection before
starting treatment with HEARTGARD, which is not effective against adult D. immitis.
Infected dogs must be treated to remove adult heartworms and microfilariae prior to
initiating a program with HEARTGARD.
While some microfilariae may be killed by the ivermectin in HEARTGARD at the
recommended dose level. HEARTGARD is not effective for microfilariae clearance. A
mild hypersensitivity-type reaction, presumably due to dead or dying microfilariae and
particularly involving a transient diarrhea, has been observed in clinical trials with
ivermectin after treatment of some dogs that have circulating microfilariae.
This comes from INTERCEPTORŪ Flavor TabsŪ Product Information - Novartis Animal Health US, Inc. : Precautions
Do not use in puppies less than four weeks of age and less than two pounds of body weight. Prior to initiation of the INTERCEPTOR Flavor Tabs treatment program, dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infections. Infected dogs should be treated to remove adult heartworms (which are D. immitis) and microfilariae prior to initiating treatment with INTERCEPTOR Flavor Tabs. Mild, transient hypersensitivity reactions manifested as labored respiration, vomiting, salivation and lethargy, have been noted in some treated dogs carrying a high num-ber of circulating microfilariae. These reactions are presumably caused by release of protein from dead or dying microfilariae.
The info in red came from websites, the info in black is mine. |