I forgot to Give Tucker his Heartgard!!!
 

So, I completely blanked Tucker's Heartgard plus in June! He's supposed to get it the 28th each month and I totally blanked it. I remembered today and gave it to him right away. But now I'm concerned :(

Does anyone know how long it takes for the medicine to wear off? Could it have worn off in the days between when I should have given it and when I did? If he got bit by a mosquito could he now be at risk of having gotten heartworm?

I did a bit of research on the net but didn't find much. any info on this would be much appreciated.

Thank you!!!

I have been late by a week and the vet said mine would be okay as they have been on it for quite some time. You should be fine at barely over a week late. I think more than that, they recommend a new heartworm test.

The grace period is at least 15 days with Heartgard.
He is just fine.

I did the same thing last month, and was close to 2 weeks late when I remembered. I did lots of research on the subject, and called my vet and also had a friend check with their vet, and the consensus was the same, if you miss a dose, give as soon as you remember, and go back to the previous schedule, do not make a new schedule that is a month from today, but go back to the old schedule. The way the cycle of eggs progress, you are safest by doing it this way, and with my particular brand, Tri-heart plus, there is no worry about over-dosing either, so I could safely give in 2 weeks again without worry. You might want to check with your vet to be sure.

I use that e-mail reminder service, but they keep mailing me the reminder earlier and earlier, I just want a day's notice, not a 2 week notice.

Thank you!
 

Thank you everyone who replied! I feel so much better now!

Okay, so I need to give it again in July, not wait until August 8th, right? I'll do whatever I need to. I just can't believe I forgot.

I forgot Jackson's too! I just gave it to him yesterday, he was about 2 weeks late on his heartworm medicine. He's on K9 Advantix though for fleas & ticks and it also repels mosquitoes (who carry the heartworm disease) so I like having that added layer of protection. I can't believe I forgot though.

Yes, absolutely don't wait til Aug. I write it on all of the pages on my calender. My guys get it on the 1st. So each 1st it says Heartworm pill. It is easy to forget we all get so busy. I write it on there so then I don't have to think about it. When I turn the page it's right there. Good Luck your baby should be fine.

I just ran across another thread on Heartworm Medications. There was some info there that said even every other month would still be effective with the heartworm meds we have. This sort of gave me a chill because if every other month would be good enough and the pill I give mine is really good enough for a dog 4 times their size.....how much extra med am I giving? Sounds like way too much.

Please be very careful if you do this and check with your vet. The medication that Joey is given is very safe, and he could eat several in one month with no ill effects, in fact, some dogs have eaten a whole package without any ill effects. However, if you skip a month, and then forget to give another dose, you could be giving the next dose when heartworms have already gotten to the heart, and this would prove deadly to the dog.

I'm still not changing anything I do -- mine will all get their once a month Heartguard. I just said it makes me wonder how much I am overdosing them. I would not change based on postings alone. I doubt our vet would approve of the every other month. But I do worry sometimes of the accumulative affect of all of the over-medicating we do on our pets. Between vaccines being stronger than needed, and pesticides being more potent and more often than possibly needed, it could be a lot of toxic build up over the years.

I understand your concerns, but I have read many threads on people being so concerned about "over medicating" that they stop medicating. If a dog has a healthy liver, it should be continually detoxing itself from harmful substances, and they shouldn't "build up".

Some info
 

It takes 6-8 months for a heartworm to grow to full size. L3's are readily killed by Interceptor but not by Heartgard30. Interceptor and Heartgard30 both act primarily on the L4's living in the skin (tissue stage= 2 months). After a dose of either medication, any L4's present will be wiped out. Heartgard30 is also able to kill the younger L5's. I believe that's another 2 months for migration to the heart, at which time they are still very small.

I read this too in a post I think has since been deleted. I need to bring this up that I have heard of this happening with larger dog breeds, like Labs and such. No where have I ever seen that a Yorkie (even a large one) had eaten a pkg of Heartgard meds. I couldn't get mine to eat one. Made me think. And I put everything on it. Peanut butter, chicken baby food, gravy (from dinner). He ate all the fixins, spit the chewable out every time. Back to the Vet we went. I know some dogs love them, and its supposed to be easier, but not when they refuse like mine did. I also watch mine anytime I give meds. They can be ok one month, and you do everything the same the next month, and they come up with allergic reactions, or other ills.

From heartgard's website:

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
prevention 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 the recommended dosing regimen will minimize the opportunity for the

development of adult heartworms.

It says to resume the recommended dosing regimen (which is once a month), it does not say to resume your dosing schedule.

If you have a 5# Yorkie, the HG Plus dose is for dogs up to 25#. He's already getting 5 times the amount he needs. You give him a dose today. Today's dose kills any larvae in his skin (tissue stage). The larvae stay in the skin for 2 months if not treated. Once you dose your dog, all the larvae die. He does not need another dose for another 30 days. Giving him another dose in 2 or 3 weeks will do nothing, because the dose you gave today has killed them all. If he gets bitten and is Heartworm infected in 2 weeks, the dose you give 30 days after today's dose kills them all.

Hope this helps...

The Goal of Heartworm Meds
 

When Heartworm meds first came on the market, it was given as a daily dose, to keep the dog free of heartworm. Researchers have learned that the heartworm really doesn't hurt the dog until it reaches the dog's heart and multiplies. This takes 7-9 months to happen. Therefore, the medication developed for the dog has to kill the heartworm babies (larvae)as they are growing in the dog's skin (tissue), which happens after the dog is bitten by an infected mosquito. Not all mosquitos are infected with heartworm. They live and grow in the dog's skin for 2 months. This is called the 'Tissue stage', and is a good time to get rid of them. If you give them one dose of heartworm medication formulated to kill tissue stage larvae at least once every 2 months, you are killing the tissue stage larvae living in your dog's skin. The companies that make the Heartworm medicine decided it would be easier for people to remember once a month than to remember once every other month, and if one forgets, you still are safe by a month.

If you live in an area where there are many heartworm cases, it is more likely that your dog will end up being bitten by an infected mosquito at some point in his life. As long as he gets a dose of heartworm meds at least once every 2 months, the heartworms will never get to his heart. There may be days when live larvae are present in his skin. As long as these are killed before they reach his heart (within 2 months), he will be fine.

The goal is not to keep medication in the dog to kill the HTW Larvae all the time, but to give the medication once a month to kill the larvae before they leave the dog's skin to travel to the dog's heart, where the damage occurs.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Excellent post explaining how it all works, thank you!

My 1 yr. old Yorkie starting acting strange when I started using the 9-20 lb k9 and I atributed it to something else he had gotten into b/c he likes to chew just anything, but now when I try to apply his meds each month he doesn't allow me to. I have to hold him down. The first symptom I noticed was him shaking profusely, and panting. Then I noticed him trying to roll around the floor trying to remove the meds after application. After reading all of your comments I am just horrified and feel terrible that I put him through this! I will NEVER give him this medication again and it SHOULD be taken OFF the market!

I'm not sure what medication you are talking about? What brand was it? Did you tell your vet about his reaction? I'm allergic to certain medications and they cause an extreme reaction in me, but they work beautifully for other people, they don't need to be "taken off the market." You must tell your vet about this reaction, you have other choices and if you live in Louisiana, you really need a good heart worm medication.