Quote:
Originally Posted by jmdt  I saw the thread on how to save a little money by buying frontline for a larger dog and just splitting it among 4.
How about heartworm meds? Is there a less expensive way to deal with that? The cost of the meds every month is ridiculous. I use intercepter with my babies. Each pill is about $15. That is $60 a month for me.
Any tips?? |
Heartguard is said to be something you can stretch out to every 42-45 days. I can seem to find the actual hard data on that though at the moment. It has to do with the heartworm cycle since heartworm meds only prevent the larvae from reaching the adult stage. Heartworm meds don't physically prevent heartworms from forming - but by treating your dog monthly your killing the heartworm larvae and preventing them from becoming adults.
The American Heartworm society states this about ivermectian use:
Quote:
| Ivermectin Ivermectin (Heartgard® & Heartgard® Plus by Merial, Iverhart® Plus & Iverhart MAX™ by Virbac and Tri-Heart® Plus by Schering-Plough) was the first in this family of drugs to be approved for preventing heartworm infection. An infection with larvae as long as two months prior to the initiation of ivermectin treatment will be blocked from development. |
American Heartworm Society | Canine Heartworm
(Last part bolded by me) This is the reason to my knowledge that you can stretch out heartguard to 45 days. I don't know if that's really possible with the interceptor, they say that "they are similar". I think it definitely gives you something you can talk to your vet about. You also in all seriousness don't have to treat for heartworms all year round, just when your animals will be susceptible for your area. The heartworm society outwardly admits that one of the reasons its recommended year round is compliance. (The only thing that prevents your dog from them reaching the adult stage is if their taken in time and 12 monthly pills are easier to remember then say... 6.) Their other reasoning is because some of the same meds help prevent intestinal parasites... (but is that really a reason to treat for
heartworms? Not so sure, and to my knowledge the amount needed is still alot more then is actually present in those medications - but I'm not a vet!)
Heartworm meds are so... complicated. If you really want to cut costs, I would suggest you talk to your vet about dosing normal ivermectian. You can most definitely dose it yourself, but I wouldn't recommend doing so without vet approval for the exact amounts.