Heartworm Dosing Venting

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by diggy4

I can call later im at work now and they could hear what im talking about but typing that they have no idea

id say i give sentinal 8 months of the year. Plus with all this overdosing we seem to be doing i wonder if its actually lasting just a month anyway. Hell for years they were telling us these vac's were only good for a year and now look its more like 3 years for some! I do the yearly heartworm test and hopefully we just say negative with it all!

Heartworm med only lasts for a couple days.
It isn't a prevention. It is a cure.
It kills certain larvae that are a certain number of days old before they move to the heart. I'm not sure about Interceptor (and I doubt they will say) but with Heartgard the grace period is 15 days. So technically you don't have to give Heartgard every 30 days. You can give it every 45 (42 to be safe).
Anyone who is considering this schedule, please check with your vet.
These companies say that it is an easy once-a-month pill and that's a good way to remember, but really it is a good way for the companies to make more $$$.

[Marla]

My vet said that Interceptor was safer because it has a more appropriate dose for Yorkie size. And the same drug kills the worms and such, whereas Heartgard Plus adds a different drug to kills the worms. That's why Heartgard came up with the Plus - to compete with Interceptor.

[MyFairLacy]

I forgot that you asked me about Revolution in that other thread...

The vet I worked for throughout highschool carries revolution at his clinic. He has told me before that he has had dogs on it come in that had heartworms, and that he has heard reports of it not being as effective against heartworms. Nothing is 100% effective, but revolution is supposedly less effective than the others on the market.

I did a little searching online and found this as well:
A review written by a veteranarian Revolution for Dogs review
Revolution was introduced back in the late 1990’s as the new heartworm, flea and tick all in one product for dogs. My office has been dispensing the product for 6+ years and I have a pretty good grasp of its abilities. First, if you live in a high heartworm endemic area like my office in St. Thomas USVI, then this product is not for you. We have found the product to be less then 100% succesful in heartworm protection as compared to Hearguard or Interceptor. Having said that, Pfizer will pay for any dog’s heartworm treatment that can prove Revolution purchases from a veterinarian (not online pharmacies). However, you still do not want to risk your dog’s life even if it is free. In lower heartworm areas (the Northeast USA…) this is a good heartworm prevention product. Second, the product is poor on ticks. Plain and simple, not my first choice. I prefer Frontline and a Preventic collar. This product’s best feature is its flea control. Revolution is a revolution in the world of flea control….the best.
Hope this helps!!

A review someone wrote whose dog got heartworms after being on Revolution for 3 years Revolution does not work! - Pfizer Revolution (Selamectin) - Epinions.com
Our vet put our (3) three dogs on it three years ago since they were puppies. We purchased revolution from our vet and applied as per his instructions. One of the dogs tested positive for heart worm even though it was on revolution for (3) three years. Our vet informed us that he thought Pfizer would assist in paying for treatment to remove the heart worms, they didn't.

Another review of a dog getting heartworms I do not trust Revolution! - Pfizer Revolution (Selamectin) - Epinions.com
We adopted our Jack Russell 1 1/2 years ago. He was given a complete clean bill of health by a vet the day we took him home(including a heartworm test.) You can imagine my surprise at his next check up a year later, when he tested positive for heartworms. He had been treated by Revolution monthly from the time he came to live with us. W are crushed! I have been talking to many people about this. There have been quite a few others with the same result. Now I have to put my dog through a difficult and expensive treatment. I am very disappointed!

[yorkiepup2]

Hmmmm.....this is all interesting to me because I have never given my yorkies heartworm medicine.........and my oldest one is 10. Can someone enlighten me?

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by yorkiepup2

Hmmmm.....this is all interesting to me because I have never given my yorkies heartworm medicine.........and my oldest one is 10. Can someone enlighten me?

I don't know if heartworms are common in WA or not...they are VERY common here in Texas and will cause major heart disease and death if not treated..and the treatment is very hard on them and sometimes fatal as well. So we have to use heartworm preventative year around in TX. I suggest talking to your vet about heartworms and asking if preventative is necessary in your area or not.

[diggy4]

Have you found anything on Michigan stats Ellie? Now I am all freaked out over heartworm

I dont see us being all that high on list of reported cases just wondering what u found.

[red98vett]

So what is the BEST ??? I have a vet appointment and will be re-filling our heartguard - but now I don't know what to ask for ! Maybe I should stick with what I've been using - and here in texas it's a must.

and Ellie May - you are right about the heartgard - my vet said the same thing - if we miss a dose they are still covered for about 6 weeks to a month - but still - better safe than sorry.

[diggy4]

Originally Posted by red98vett

So what is the BEST ??? I have a vet appointment and will be re-filling our heartguard - but now I don't know what to ask for ! Maybe I should stick with what I've been using - and here in texas it's a must.

and Ellie May - you are right about the heartgard - my vet said the same thing - if we miss a dose they are still covered for about 6 weeks to a month - but still - better safe than sorry.

Maybe discuss sentinal? It says its for heartworm and fleas. thats what mine are on they were on interceptor and frontline til i got Digs...Mr Sensitive cant handle topicals things so we go all pill form. So far so good !

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by diggy4

Maybe discuss sentinal? It says its for heartworm and fleas. thats what mine are on they were on interceptor and frontline til i got Digs...Mr Sensitive cant handle topicals things so we go all pill form. So far so good !

Ok I'll ask....I've always used heartgard PLUS - but now am confused ....they're due today for their shots and we're on our way today and I'm a little nervous with a new vet - (I loved my vet in Sugar Land TX but it's just too far now) - I'll let you know what they say...

[diggy4]

Originally Posted by red98vett

Ok I'll ask....I've always used heartgard PLUS - but now am confused ....they're due today for their shots and we're on our way today and I'm a little nervous with a new vet - (I loved my vet in Sugar Land TX but it's just too far now) - I'll let you know what they say...

Sounds good!! Diggy is due for shots in July Im now trying to decide what shots to give and what not to give. I may have a titer test ran on some of them just to see what he needs. I did go with the NEW version of Lepto with Bella being cases have been popping up here in town and im not comfy with playing the odds on that So I suppose I will be getting it for Diggy too. The others im undecided!! You having them get all of them?

[MyFairLacy]

Originally Posted by red98vett

So what is the BEST ??? I have a vet appointment and will be re-filling our heartguard - but now I don't know what to ask for ! Maybe I should stick with what I've been using - and here in texas it's a must.

and Ellie May - you are right about the heartgard - my vet said the same thing - if we miss a dose they are still covered for about 6 weeks to a month - but still - better safe than sorry.

I've always used heartgard plus and am happy with it. I would either stick with that or ask about sentinel.

[Wylie's Mom]

I use just use ivermectin bc I can never find a straight answer on prevalence and incidence on the other parasites in my area, which to me just screams: marketing over-medication opportunity...which just chaps my butt, of course.

[Wylie's Mom]

This is kind of a nice chart, just for reference: Heartworm Preventive Comparison

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by diggy4

Sounds good!! Diggy is due for shots in July Im now trying to decide what shots to give and what not to give. I may have a titer test ran on some of them just to see what he needs. I did go with the NEW version of Lepto with Bella being cases have been popping up here in town and im not comfy with playing the odds on that So I suppose I will be getting it for Diggy too. The others im undecided!! You having them get all of them?

Well - I'm in shell shock - $389.00 for an exam and shots for 2 little dogs ? That was the last time I'm going to that vet ....

I did all that's required ...there's just too many pets where I live ...the vet said they didn't even carry HeartGard - only Interceptor... because it has an additional ingredient to fight parasites. He said they were basically the same thing - My plan is to try it for a few months and if I want to go back to heartgard that vet owes me a prescription cause for that kind of money he can get his pen out cause I'm so not going back - this was just an annual !

Serves me right for not asking their prices...

Shoot - we didn't even get a free treat

[yorkiepup2]

Originally Posted by MyFairLacy

I don't know if heartworms are common in WA or not...they are VERY common here in Texas and will cause major heart disease and death if not treated..and the treatment is very hard on them and sometimes fatal as well. So we have to use heartworm preventative year around in TX. I suggest talking to your vet about heartworms and asking if preventative is necessary in your area or not.

Thanks......I have to take the baby into the vet in a couple of weeks (checking to see if all her baby teeth have come out so she can get spayed). I will ask the vet about heartworm. I wonder if heartworms like hot weather 'cause we sure don't have that here. You did say though that you have to treat for heartworm year round, right? Does any YT'er out there live in Washington State and treat their yorkie for heartworms?