# Heartworm Preventatives & Scenting Ability



## Robert Young (May 22, 2014)

If anyone has experienced any issues with certain heartworm preventatives and scenting ability please let me know. I am aware that the old caricide was shown to influence it. And I know of a renown tracking trainer that gave their dogs Heartguard once and said that afterwards the dogs couldn't find their butts with both hands. My mal is a detection dog and has been on Iverhart her whole life without any issues but it is no longer available so I need to go to something else. Was thinking about Interceptor since it is back and I know it is safe and used to like it before it went off the market. Do I need to be concerned about the currently available options affecting her scenting ability?


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## Sarah Platts (Jan 12, 2010)

I give the ivermectin straight up orally. I have not seen any issues with their scenting abilities. I have German Shorthaired Pointers

Did anyone check to see if there was any breed connection? The loss of scenting ability more prevalent in GSDs and not Mals, for example. For maybe limited to specific individuals?


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

My dogs were on liquid Ivermectin when I was involved in SAR with my older dog. 

He had and still has an excellent nose at 12 yrs old.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

re : "And I know of a renown tracking trainer that gave their dogs Heartguard once and said that afterwards the dogs couldn't find their butts with both hands."

this anecdote could be misleading. the way you stated it, it is not unusual that scenting ability could be affected after ingesting heartworm meds. but the problem is usually temporary, and usually won't persist after the dog has adjusted to the med. you did not state whether this trainer treated year round for filaria prevention or if they treated periodically. the way the drug was given could have been the cause rather than the drug itself. the way you wrote it, it sounds like the trainer gave the med "once" and then saw the neg reaction

i also agree it's better to use generic names rather than brand names when discussing medications, especially since some brands have extra ingredients in their "plus" formulas. regardless, any drug can have a negative side effect from time to time. even ivermectin. at least ivermectin toxicity can be tested for the herder breeds that may be genetically at risk

re : Iverhart ....the brand might not be readily available to you, but the med might still be available

might not be applicable to your dog, but all our mwd's deployed here get ivermectin all year round. they seem to track and detect fine

interesting topic


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

i would also be very interested to hear from anyone who had scenting issues associated with heartworm meds


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## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I give ivermectin (ivomec) which has never seemed to cause a problem. Neither has interceptor when I gave that. Mine is a cadaver dog - certified several years running, but more importantly, we often train with trace quantities.


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## Tom Connors (Dec 30, 2012)

I haven't given heartworm medication in years. Here's why: http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2008/05/billion-dollar-heartworm-scam.html


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

Robert :
- i'll go even farther off topic but i have some strong feelings about this issue regardless of whether it relates to nose work....

Tom :
There is a lot of info on that link that is certainly true and can be easily confirmed in any number of ways. 
With that said.... 
1. How the dog is infected, how the disease progresses, how it actually kills the dog, and how the med works, are all things that any responsible dog owner should know, and if any of that came as a surprise, it is because they were either lazy, or the type of owner that medicates their dog based on what "others have always done", or the type of owner who believes every word that comes out of their vet at face value. I would hope very few of these types are WDF members here 

2. I think the link would have been more beneficial if it had discussed the various ways of treating an infestation. There are also dogs who die because they cannot tolerate the aggressive treatments that most ALL American vets suggest. It was only after I moved to Japan that I found out there are treatment regimens that are much safer, and that is why Japanese vets will almost never treat aggressively. This all makes sense when you understand the disease and how the med works, but the message never seems to get through. And we have had threads here about this exact topic 
- don't know about too many other countries, but the American treatment problem might be linked to the "want it now generation" mindset //LOL//

3. What I seriously object to about that link is the first subject they bring up; that heartworm disease is rare and it implies it is hard for a dog to get infected in the first place. To me this is VERY MISLEADING !!
- How old are you ?
- How many cases of heartworm have you seen ? If it's bad you CAN see it. And not that it matters, but i've seen a few and it is heartbreaking. I'm an old fart, but if you know enough "old fart" dog owners, they can probably describe it to you because they have probably seen cases too. When it's visible it's usually too late to treat and you have a "walking dead" dog :-(

FACT -- Heartworm KILLS and if a dog gets infected it WILL die .... and it will be very slow death at that :-(
- In my opinion, the reasons the disease does not kill as many dogs as it used to are numerous :
1. there are now meds that prevent the disease from progressing 
2. they are safe meds that rarely cause problems for most every breed of dog. If a med doesn't start killing dogs or give them BAD side effects, it is rarely ever questioned. most all heartworm meds fit into this category
3. millions of dog owners use them even tho they may be totally clueless about the disease or the med, so in this case ignorance might be bliss 
4. in general, although many here will disagree , i think responsible dog ownership is on the rise in most parts of the developed world 
- but with that said, there are still too many dog owners who are just plain lazy, because most dogs are too easy //LOL//

I'll quit now ... if i go any further this might degenerate into a "should i vaccinate or not ?" thread 

do what you want. that's what we all do anyway


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## Nilledem Greg (Jun 8, 2015)

Bob Scott said:


> My dogs were on liquid Ivermectin when I was involved in SAR with my older dog.
> 
> He had and still has an excellent nose at 12 yrs old.



Yes, Ivermectin also worked for my dog. Never had another issue after that. It was 3 years ago already.


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