Guidelines Heartworm Preventive
I would like to share these guidelines from Dr. Jean Dodd, a well respected Veterinarian and specialist in dog immunology. Having adopted and treated a heartworm positive corgi, the subject about the pros and cons of medication is on my mind. For years, when I lived in Virginia, I used the daily preventive, which I found safe even in pregnant bitches and puppies over many years. I have no longer found it available for purchase and so I now use Heartgard Plus monthly, as prescribed by my Vet. After reading this article I will rethink my strategy and take up the subject once more with my Vet.
http://drjeandoddspethealthresource.tumblr.com/post/46289883129/dod...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Linda on
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I have healthy seniors and both get the monthly Heartguard. I plan on keeping them on it. I would never give my dogs Comfortis. It almost killed my friend's dog. I forgot the name of the ingredient but it can be deadly to many dogs and I am talking immediate reaction to it.
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Permalink Reply by Vicky Hay on
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Wow, does she ever have that right!
My vet told me that in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area (which is huge: the city has engrossed an area larger than LA), only certain regions require the use of heartworm meds. In specific, these include areas where idiotic developers have installed artificial lakes to sell their housing tracts, and a very few areas near open canals. Risk increased during the late, great recession, because so many homes were foreclosed or abandoned -- the pools would be drained, leaving a stagnant puddle on the bottom, or just allowed to go green, and these bred a lot of mosquitoes. But now t hat the economy's better, the mosquito population is down.
At any rate, said vet advised against dosing dogs with Heartgard just for the heckuvit. He felt you use it only if you have good reason to believe your dog will be exposed to infected mosquitoes.
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I live in an area full of lakes, ponds, streams and a river. Heartworm is an issue here along with Lyme. We have 2 water features in our yard but both are treated to kill larve especially if we don't have fish in the pond. The 2 birdbaths are also treated.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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For those who do not treat the birdbaths, the recommendation is to change the water daily. Unlike Lyme (which is spread through deer) mosquitoes do not spread heartworm unless they have drawn blood from an infected dog, as the cycle of reproduction requires incubation in both species. A dog who is a carrier of heartworm (i.e. harbors adult heartworms) can be a constant source of infection in the area it lives in, and further when windy conditions prevail.
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@ Linda, even using Heartguard, I find the recommendation of giving it every 45 days (rather than every 30) useful. I am very good with keeping to scheduled dates, so I think I will do that for my dogs and discuss the rest with my Vet after I finish the stuff I bought and have on hand.
@Vicky. I respectfully disagree with your Vet for this reason. Particularly in an area as densly populated as Phoenix, where people come from all over, you have no idea which dogs around you may be carriers of heartworm, thus putting your dogs at higher risk. When one of my dogs, years ago, got heartworms, the incidence of heartworm in our area was 1%, so I did not treat. What I later realized (after the fact) was that a family had moved in close to us from Texas, where heartworm incidence was higher, and one or more of their dogs must have been a carrier.... It is not worth the risk IMO.
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That absolutely IS an issue! We have so many people move here from the Midwest and other areas with heartroom that we're beginning to see a shift in the risk factor here.
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I mentioned I could not find the daily heartworm preventive. People shifted to the monthly for convenience. The daily preventive is easy to give if you get in the routine of giving it immediately before either the morning, or evening meal. It is bitter, so you have to place it at the back of the mouth and make sure it's been swallowed. Some of my dogs were so crafty they even made believe they swallowed and then spit out the pill, but I knew who was who....:-DD
In reading the online comments on the link to Dr. Dodd's article , I found the following question and answer:
Q: Dr Dodd mentions diethylcarmbazine. I used this for years until I could no longer get it. Where is there a source for this now- my vet apparently cannot get it Thanks
A: The product is Dimmitrol – available on line , often through Canada - Dr. Dodds
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