ok thanks so much

I called one vet we work with and she said they recommend interceptor but have not seen any cases of heart worm in our area. She said since mine are mostly indoors due to health issues that they should be fine without it

I called our other vet and tech said she is going to call us back as she is getting a ton of calls and going to go over it with doc as this one is more natural. She is not holistic but is very conservative with meds.

Jean just emailed me back as i asked if i need to worry and she said not really

I prefer Interceptor as Heartguard/Ivermectin has been proven to trigger seizures in some dogs. I also like the under 10 pounds dose available.

Deb, as you know, Lady has multiple health issues, too, and is basically an indoor dog now that she is so old. She only goes out on my patio or in her stroller. Here in the Southeast our risk of heartworm is so high she has to get a preventative. My vet assured me that the dose is very low and is also out of her system in three days. I have had no problems with Interceptor even though Lady does have liver disease from years of seizure medication.

I'm sure California vets are weighing the risk of heartworm on a case by case basis.

Oh this is very scary for me W. Covina is about 4-6 miles from us.... I worry more for my senior girl w/heart murmur to start with. The boys are young and healthy.

I need to go to out vet's office anyway to pick up Buffy's meds and her food, I'll ask to talk to him.

I'm worried now.

Thank you so much for sharing this information since I have never had to use heartworm med. before.:thumbup:

Intercpetor and Sentinel are made by the same company (Novartis. They are the same drug (milbemycin oxime). However, Sentinels has an extra ingredient (lufenuron). It is a chitin inhibitor and stops fleas from reproducing. If you want less drugs, then go with Interceptor. Heartgard is a very good drug also. I would never ever trust Ellie health to Revolution's ability to prevent heartworms. More and more vets are realizing that it is not nearly as good at protection.

Heartworm is just too serious. I'd rather medicate for it then have to treat later (preferred treatment is injections of an arsenic compound deep into the back muscles...no thank you or slow kill with Heartgard).

ok thanks c for explaining the differences as i know minimal on this since i have never had to use it in the past :(

i know rosie i was thinking of your gang right away and buffy. Let us know what you find out

ok thanks so much as i am nervous

if it is out of system in 3 days how does it protect them for 30?

I need a crash course on this gals :)

It's not a prevention. It's a cure. It kills the larvae before they reach a serious point.

so how does it kill the larvae for 30 days if out of the system in 3? Again i am totally clueless on this stuff so thanks for your help

ok so we go to two vets like stated before and the one he has tried to sell me that before when i first took dd to him as he only sees dee dee not dex or demi. He tried to sell me interceptor and frontline plus. I refused as my other vet does not recommend it for my area especially in my dogs with issues. They said they have only had two calls my being one as he sells it to everyone of his clients so everyone is on it already. He has not seen any cases of heart worm.

Now the other vet who is more natural in approach said she has not heard anything proven in our area that this mosquito causes heartworm. She stated if she hears anything we will be notified immediately so she is checking further into it but due to mine having health issues she has told me to hold off until she gets more information. She has not seen any cases of heart worm either.

I do not live real close to this area though so may be why

I hope others here will post what their vets are saying and information as I always like to educate myself to make the best choice for my dogs

Whatever microfilariae has built up for 30 days, the Interceptor kills them. It only works for certain lifestages of the microfilaria. That's why it's important to get it early.

ok thanks - I hope more people post here in cali and i posted on my other groups too so i can try to gather more info on this for our area.

I am in fantasy land hoping it is the media blowing it out of proportion lolllll

Heartworm medication is not a preventative. It kills the larvae that have infected the dog in the past 30 days before they can grow into adult heartworms.

Heartworm Disease

Studies have shown that heartworm medication actually kills larvae present for 45 days or longer. 30 days is always recommended to be on the safe side, but if you are diligent about marking on your calendar when the next dose is due, you can push it to 45 days to minimize exposure. That's what I do with Lady since she is basically an indoor dog at this point.

The original FDA approval for Interceptor states, “Complete (100%) protection was achieved in dogs treated at 30 days post infection, with 95% protection at 60 and 90 days.” This does not apply to Safeheart, which was tested only at a 30 day dosing interval.

DogAware.com Articles: Heartworm Prevention in Dogs

And Dr Mike Richards D.V.M. says from www.vetinfo.com/doghw.html: “The monthly heartworm preventatives work to kill heartworm larvae that are 45 days or less in age and probably closer to 50 days. Since an every 45 day dose would be hard to remember and provide no leeway for error, the pills are approved for monthly use.


Heartworm | B-Naturals.Com Newsletter

We live in the border of Pasadena & Arcadia, not too far from West Covina. I just talked to our vet assistant & she said there were no reported cases here...yet & they heard about this issue. As a preventative, she recommended K9 Advantix. It says it kills mosquitoes, but will they still bite before killing them? I'm confused...

Some mosquitoes here carry the West Nile Virus too...

Ok, they help repel before they bite. From the Advantix site: K9 Advantix® helps protect your dog from mosquitoes because it repels and kills mosquitoes before they can bite. This waterproof protection is gentle enough for puppies, as young as seven weeks of age. K9 Advantix helps reduce the risk of transmitting disease-causing organisms, and provides relief from biting.

I would think this would be helpful (better than using nothing at all), than using heartworm meds...:confused: