Major Heartworm Med Rant!!!!

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I suggest you read the package insert on Heartgard....but in case you don't have the time to do that, I will paste some of the information below. I don't see any "bombardment" here.

http://www.heartgard.com/SiteCollect...s-for-Dogs.pdf


HEARTGARD Plus should be given at monthly intervals during the period of the year when mosquitoes (vectors), potentially carrying infective heartworm larvae, are active. The initial dose must be given within a month (30 days) after the dog’s first exposure to mosquitoes. The final dose must be given within a month (30 days) after the dog’s last exposure to mosquitoes.
When replacing another heartworm preventive product in a heartworm disease
preventive program, the first dose of HEARTGARD Plus must be given within a month(30 days) of the last dose of the former medication. If the interval between doses exceeds a month (30 days), the efficacy of ivermectin can
be reduced. Therefore, for optimal performance, the chewable must be given once a month on or about the same day of the month. If treatment is delayed, whether by a few days or many, immediate treatment with HEARTGARD Plus and resumption of therecommended dosing regimen will minimize the opportunity for the development of adult heartworms.

Monthly treatment with HEARTGARD Plus also provides effective treatment and
control of ascarids (T. canis, T. leonina) and hookworms (A. caninum, U. stenocephala,A. braziliense). Clients should be advised of measures to be taken to prevent reinfection with intestinal parasites.

Originally Posted by BrooklynBlues

No, you are dangerous to pets. You just said that medicine should only be given during the months when heartworm mosquitos are active. That period is only 3-4 months in the vast majority of the United States.

So yes, 3 tests a year will catch any and all infections that will happen to the dog.

One last thing...please read the posts thoroughly. I did NOT say that. Read above where I stated that I was QUOTING the Heartworm Society website AND that sentence was not a stand alone sentence. The next couple of sentences clarify it.

[chestermama]

Im going to get chester tested in april, and start meds in the end of april and start traveling in the end of may. Thanks for the information LadyJane

[Teegy]

Thanks for your rant and your vets feedback, it's definitely a sensitive topic.
This is great information to share, especially for those who live in the regions where it's highest.
I get annual blood work done but don't treat for it and have had some lovely things thrown at me for doing so.

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Interesting. You could try contacting the company and/or trying to track down the actual prescribing info to see if it has half-life info in it. I'm not sure if these types of meds have half-lives, but I'd kind of assume they did.

I will still give every 30 days. But, now I wonder about Marcel's dose bc he is 3lbs. - according to what they say, a 1/2 pill would be more than enough for him (but not Wylie).

Probably a good call

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

If I am understanding this right, even Wylie would be covered with 1/2 a pill because they use 4/5 more drug than they need to to protect against intestinal parasites. If you don't care about that, 1/5 of the dose recommended "may" work. I am not recommending that anyone attempts this but this information is available online. The real question is, can the pill be cut in half because in the case of Heartgard Plus, the answer is no because the med is unevenly injected into the chew.

another good point, I wonder if crushing it would help spread the meds

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by Pettysmith

Great post. I have managed a vet clinic for 12 years and I too have seen what happens to heartworm positive dogs, dogs with lyme disease, rocky mountain spotted fever, etc. I also will not cut the dose or play with the companies nor my vet's recommendations.

We also lost our black lab two years ago at the age of 15 which is very old for a lab. She had heartworm preventative every month of her life and some kind of flea and tick control. Certainly did not hurt her. I have a 12 year old yorkie now who has also had Heartgard and Frontline every single month of his life and he is as healthy as a 5 year old. We just did his senior bloodwork panel two months ago and everything was perfect.

I keep our prices in line with the on-line pharmacies to try and keep people from ordering from them. These products are vet only products and a lot of the on-line pharmacies are getting them on the black market. It is no telling how long they have set in trucks or on shipping docks waiting to be shipped. We have even had people bring packages in that they ordered on-line that were in other languages. I get letters from on-line salesmen at least once or twice a month asking us (as vets) to sell these products to them at cheaper prices so they can sell them on-line. I forward these on to the vendors because it is illegal. By keeping prices similar to the on-line pharmacies we do not make much money on these products at all. Believe me, vets do not get rich selling that stuff.

Thanks for your post.

I noticed that many of you give separate meds for all the different pests, is there a reason behind that, or just not one available that treats for heartworm, fleas and ticks.

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by AmyChristine

This is very interesting Niether one of my yorkies are on HW medicine right now, I have tried Copper on both interceptor and heartgard and nearly lost him on the heartgard because it made him very sick. Maddie I have only given her interceptor one time and had to take her to the vet because she had bloody diareah and vommitting for about 5 days after giving her the pill. My vet doesn't feel comfortable giving her another HW medicine at this point. She is so small that being that sick is life threatening. they still are tested but at this point I am waiting till my vet gives the goahead on another Med.

[Teegy]

I have read that fleas carry tapeworm and also a flea infestation can lead to anemia in dogs.
Has anyone ever seen any documentation on this.
I'd be curious to know what constitutes a flea infestation and just how much of an infestation could cause anemia and a compromised immune system.
I'm always seeing lots of great info being provided for heartworm but not much concern for the fleas.

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by Euro

Thank you all so much. Here you can buy Heartguard at the store. I will search for my receipts again. From now on I will write it down. Seems getting old means losing
Your memory.

When I used to give heart worm meds it came with a little calendar for your fridge. perhaps doing something like that will help you remember when you do it

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by BrooklynBlues

Instead of choosing people to attack based on their supposed lack of credibility, why don't you attack the actual facts?

Statements like "Ohmygod, this is so false," or "That is simply not true!" etc, simply don't fly in the face of SCIENTIFIC FACT. Nor does "I've been giving my dog her heartworm medicine once a month and she never got heartworms" qualifies as a logical conclusion that you're following the optimal regimen for heartwarm control.

Here is the research paper on heartworm disease. Read it and feel free to post here if you have any questions.

Thanks I'll check it out

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by chestermama

Im going to get chester tested in april, and start meds in the end of april and start traveling in the end of may. Thanks for the information LadyJane

I am happy that you found it informative and that your Chester will be protected from something deadly because of it.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by Teegy

I noticed that many of you give separate meds for all the different pests, is there a reason behind that, or just not one available that treats for heartworm, fleas and ticks.

I believe Revolution does HW, fleas, mites and some ticks. Internal parasite control in cats only. I think Selamectin does them all too. Lost the box, lol! You can look online though. I use Revolution on mine for that reason (one chemical). My Tink (MVD, Liver compromised dog) gets her dose of Revolution every 6 weeks, per my vet.

Originally Posted by Teegy

I have read that fleas carry tapeworm and also a flea infestation can lead to anemia in dogs.
Has anyone ever seen any documentation on this.
I'd be curious to know what constitutes a flea infestation and just how much of an infestation could cause anemia and a compromised immune system.
I'm always seeing lots of great info being provided for heartworm but not much concern for the fleas.

I adopted a cat that was anemic from fleas. He had flea dirt everywhere I could see and still had flea eggs on him so I had strict orders to bathe him and treat him before those eggs hatched out. He was pretty bad off when I got him home, I didn't think he was going to make it. Basically, if you can count the fleas, they're probably safe as in not anemic yet, but if there are too many to count, the pet could be threatened by their presence. The pets can pick up tapeworm from a flea if they ingest the flea, usually when chewing or biting themselves as a form of scratching the itch.

FYI: Kitty did make it... now he's fat and very healthy!

[kjc]

Sentinel not selamectin

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Teegy

Thanks for your rant and your vets feedback, it's definitely a sensitive topic.
This is great information to share, especially for those who live in the regions where it's highest.
I get annual blood work done but don't treat for it and have had some lovely things thrown at me for doing so.

I hope you reconsider. I just tested mine and they were all negative. I gave them the deadly poison again this month. Two will celebrate their 14th birthdays this summer, while protected from mosquitos and the heartworms they carry.....

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Teegy

Thanks for your rant and your vets feedback, it's definitely a sensitive topic.
This is great information to share, especially for those who live in the regions where it's highest.
I get annual blood work done but don't treat for it and have had some lovely things thrown at me for doing so.

Mostly just facts have been thrown at you.