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-   -   Half a Heartgard Pill --- Safe? or Bad Idea? (https://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yorkie-health-diet/194589-half-heartgard-pill-safe-bad-idea.html)

Nikitta34 01-19-2010 06:31 AM
Half a Heartgard Pill --- Safe? or Bad Idea?
 
I just had to switch Meg (5 lbs, 1 1/4 yrs old) to Heartgard from Interceptor. Heartgard's smallest dose is for dogs <25 lbs whereas Interceptor's is for <10 lbs. My question is... can I cut a Heartgard in half or thirds?

I looked up the Heartgard Fact Sheet on their website and it says that 2.72 mcg should be given for each lb of the dog's weight. So...

2.72 mcg (x) 5 lbs = 13.6 mcg

Since each pill (<25 lbs) is 68 mcg, each pill is 5 times the "recommended" per pound dose!, ie: for dogs that weigh 25 lbs. I do not want to overdose Meg, so is it safe to cut a pill into half (and only overdose her a little)??? :confused::confused::confused:

yorkie_mama22 01-19-2010 06:35 AM
I've read that you shouldn't cut the heart worm pills.

Mardelin 01-19-2010 06:47 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikitta34 (Post 2962856)
I just had to switch Meg (5 lbs, 1 1/4 yrs old) to Heartgard from Interceptor. Heartgard's smallest dose is for dogs <25 lbs whereas Interceptor's is for <10 lbs. My question is... can I cut a Heartgard in half or thirds?

I looked up the Heartgard Fact Sheet on their website and it says that 2.72 mcg should be given for each lb of the dog's weight. So...

2.72 mcg (x) 5 lbs = 13.6 mcg

Since each pill (<25 lbs) is 68 mcg, each pill is 5 times the "recommended" per pound dose!, ie: for dogs that weigh 25 lbs. I do not want to overdose Meg, so is it safe to cut a pill into half (and only overdose her a little)??? :confused::confused::confused:
Not a good idea. If you're worried about the dosage, your best bet would be to switch over to Intercepter or Sentinel. The are premeasured closer to your dogs weight.

BonBon 01-19-2010 07:15 AM
Is the Heartguard the chewable treat type? If so, no you definitely should not cut in half - the meds don't get evenly distributed in these chews so you may not be giving enough preventitive if only giving half.

Ellie May 01-19-2010 10:47 AM
No, it can't be cut because the medicine is injected into the chew unevenly.
BTW, 1/5 of the Interceptor dose would be good enough for heartworms. The extra 4/5 of milbemycin oxime controls intestinal parasites. So you would be overdosing with either drug...

Nikitta34 01-19-2010 02:39 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by bonbon (Post 2962892)
Is the Heartguard the chewable treat type? If so, no you definitely should not cut in half - the meds don't get evenly distributed in these chews so you may not be giving enough preventitive if only giving half.
Good to know... I wondered about that. (It is indeed a chewable.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellie May (Post 2963116)
No, it can't be cut because the medicine is injected into the chew unevenly.
BTW, 1/5 of the Interceptor dose would be good enough for heartworms. The extra 4/5 of milbemycin oxime controls intestinal parasites. So you would be overdosing with either drug...
Ellie May, if I remember correctly, you prefer Interceptor? My vet has stopped ordering it so I'm going to have to order it online.

I don't want Meg to have internal parasites either, of course. But isn't that coverage factored into the per-pound recommendation? I just did the math on the interceptor and it's still double the dose for Meg, but I'd rather give her double than 5x as much.

Thanks for your feedback, everybody! I appreciate it!

Nikitta34 01-19-2010 02:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mardelin (Post 2962866)
Not a good idea. If you're worried about the dosage, your best bet would be to switch over to Intercepter or Sentinel. The are premeasured closer to your dogs weight.
I should have mentioned before that I had Meg on Interceptor, but my vet (the only English-speaking vet in my area who orders American medications) has stopped ordering it due to the company they order from raising prices. They are trying to find a new contract for Interceptor, but in the meantime, it's either order Interceptor online or switch to Heartgard.

Looks like I will be ordering online. Thanks so much, everyone!

Mardelin 01-19-2010 02:53 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikitta34 (Post 2963508)
I should have mentioned before that I had Meg on Interceptor, but my vet (the only English-speaking vet in my area who orders American medications) has stopped ordering it due to the company they order from raising prices. They are trying to find a new contract for Interceptor, but in the meantime, it's either order Interceptor online or switch to Heartgard.

Looks like I will be ordering online. Thanks so much, everyone!
Ordering online is probably the only way to go....less expensive that way.

Nikitta34 01-19-2010 02:57 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mardelin (Post 2963519)
Ordering online is probably the only way to go....less expensive that way.
Where does everyone order from? My vet recommended Drs Foster and Smith and one other place... I'd have to look it up, but maybe 1-800-pet-meds? Or is that the one that is bad to order from?

Mardelin 01-19-2010 03:14 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikitta34 (Post 2963525)
Where does everyone order from? My vet recommended Drs Foster and Smith and one other place... I'd have to look it up, but maybe 1-800-pet-meds? Or is that the one that is bad to order from?
1-800-pet-meds seem to be the most expensive.

There's Revivalanimal.com
Entirely Pets

and several others.......

You need to let your fingers do the walking to find the best prices.

Nikitta34 01-19-2010 03:16 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mardelin (Post 2963519)
Ordering online is probably the only way to go....less expensive that way.
I thought that some companies will try to sell you old medication or medication that has been tampered with? It seems worth it to me to pay a little extra to order from a company everyone trusts. I am only buying for one dog, so it's really not all that much more.

Ah well, I'll do some research and figure it out. Thanks! :D:D

kjc 01-19-2010 03:25 PM
The only medications (tablets or chewables) that can be split will come scored, the indent where you can break it. Any med that is not scored should never be split.

Ellie May 01-19-2010 05:07 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nikitta34 (Post 2963503)
Good to know... I wondered about that. (It is indeed a chewable.)



Ellie May, if I remember correctly, you prefer Interceptor? My vet has stopped ordering it so I'm going to have to order it online.

I don't want Meg to have internal parasites either, of course. But isn't that coverage factored into the per-pound recommendation? I just did the math on the interceptor and it's still double the dose for Meg, but I'd rather give her double than 5x as much.

Thanks for your feedback, everybody! I appreciate it!

I think it's something like 2.3mg/pound which covers heartworms and intestinal parasites. One-fifth of this is said to be good enough for heartworms. Plain Heartgard doesn't protect against intestinal worms, but Heartgard Plus does.

I use Interceptor and prefer it for small breeds, but there is absolutely no doubt in my mind about Heartgard being a good product. I see no problem with it in most cases (including yours).


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