# When to begin & end heartworm prevention



## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

http://www.citadeltm.com/Heartworm.html

Click on each map to enlarge it.


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## Woody Taylor (Mar 28, 2006)

That's helpful, thank you!

Any input from the board on methods of HW prevention? I know this is probably something well-discussed but we are lucky here in that there is no history to search.  

What do you all use and what precautions should be taken? I don't know anything other than putting a pill in her mouth once a month. Although from the looks of things on that chart, I'm doing it WAY too much relative to our needs here in MN.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Woody Taylor said:


> That's helpful, thank you!
> 
> Any input from the board on methods of HW prevention? I know this is probably something well-discussed but we are lucky here in that there is no history to search.
> 
> What do you all use and what precautions should be taken? I don't know anything other than putting a pill in her mouth once a month. Although from the looks of things on that chart, I'm doing it WAY too much relative to our needs here in MN.


Every state in the country has heartworm, as of last fall. I use Heartguard. It's really effective for 6 weeks....the once-a-month thing is to make it easier to remember (and probably sell more pills... :roll: ), per my vet.

http://www.vetinfo.com/dmonthlypill.html#Heartworm and flea control medication

Where I live, heartworm is all year (although slight in winter) and fleas are not, so many people do not use a combo heartworm-flea med. They use the flea med just in the flea months.


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## Sarah Hall (Apr 12, 2006)

From my experience selling them in a vet's office there are three main methods: Chewable, Tablet, and Topical.
The main brands I've seen are Heartguard, Interceptor, Sentinel, and Revolution. There are also generic ones such as Iverheart.
My favorite is Heartguard chewables. Any dog I've had loves them, even my cats love their special dose. Interceptor and Sentinel have been the most popular favorites for small breed owners.
The one I would most caution against is Revolution. This "miracle med." has been proven here in Florida to not be very effective against heartworms. The company does carry guarantee on it, however. The will pay for your HW treatment if your dog gets it. They must know it isn't as effective, therefore they avoid costly lawsuits by just paying for the treatment. Revolution is good against fleas, ticks, and mites, but I normally just opt for K9 Advantix if I have a flea problem.
Also, I begin giving HW prev. to puppies at 12 weeks of age. Being in Florida, we have to keep them on HW prev. year round. :roll:


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

I use plain old ivermectin, which is the active ingredient in Heartguard. I get it from Tractor Supply Co., and one 50mL bottle (cost roughly $50) will last for years. 

I use Frontline PLUS for fleas and ticks.


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## Alicia Mertz (Mar 28, 2006)

Kristen Cabe said:


> I use plain old ivermectin, which is the active ingredient in Heartguard. I get it from Tractor Supply Co., and one 50mL bottle (cost roughly $50) will last for years.


What doseage do you give? And I'm guessing just with a syringe once a month?


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

As per my vet, I give about 0.1mL (or cc) per 10 pounds of dog, once every 6 weeks. My one dog is 60 pounds, but I give her 0.5mL because it's easier to measure. Oh, and it's given orally, not injected. 

On the net I've seen two other dosage recommendations, but I've stuck to what my vet told me. One online recommendation says 0.1mL per 15 pounds, which means 0.4mL for a 60 pound dog. Other sites say as little as 0.01mL per 10 pounds, which means less than 0.1mL total for a 60 pound dog. Your best bet is to ask your vet.

Keep in mind though that this method is not an FDA approved preventative for heartworms in dogs (even though it's the active ingredient in Heartguard), so if your dog were to get heartworms, you'd have to foot the bill for treatment. Also, because it's not FDA approved for dogs, it's illegal for vets to tell you that it can be given to dogs at all. 

Some breeds (collies and shelties, for example) are sensitive to ivermectin, which can kill them in too high doses.


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## Alicia Mertz (Mar 28, 2006)

I figured you probably administered it orally, Kristen. Maybe I used the wrong word....

I use a generic Heartgard alternative that's also not FDA approved, but the active ingredient is Ivermectin. So that doesn't concern me... I'm just always interested in more economical ways to take care of my dogs, providing, of course, they're effective (as I'm sure this is).

I'll look into it. Thanks!!


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

One of the most-known name brands is Ivomec, which is a cattle and swine dewormer. There is also an Ivomec PLUS, but that should NOT be used in dogs. The reason I made sure to say I gave it orally is because when you buy it, it says on the box that it's an injectable.

My vet told me to keep it refrigerated, but you do not buy it cold. I think she told me that because it needs to be kept below 80 degrees Farenheit (I think), and it's sensitive to light. It's dark, and below 80 degrees in the fridge, so hey. :wink: 

It will literally last for years if you just have one dog. There are 100-125 doses for a 50-60 pound dog in one bottle (depending on if you dose per 10 or per 15 pounds). That's between 8 & 10 years' worth of heartworm prevention if you were to give it once every 30 days all year long! Given every 42 days (6 weeks), it lasts between 12.5 and 15 years! Is my math right here?? One bottle for the life of a dog almost! VERY economical; if you have just one dog or a whole kennel of dogs.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

Oh, and just wanted to add that ivermectin also takes care of internal parasites, so you don't have to deworm your dog if he's on ivermectin for heartworm prevention already.


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