Heartworms
Finnigan is not on a heartworm medication and the vet has never discussed this with us. I meant to ask when we took him in for his one year shots a few weeks ago but we had to see a substitute vet as ours was out of town and I was so busy bringing her up to date on Finn that I completely forgot to ask her. My family has never had our dogs on heartworm meds when I was growing up and I’ve been told before that it's not a big concern in Arizona (at least in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area). I admittedly know nothing about heartworm medications and I don't want to put him on unnecessary medications. I was even wondering if there was a holistic approach. I'm hoping all of you can share your knowledge and offer advice to help me make an informed decision. Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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It's understandable if you live in an area where it is a major concern. I've lived in Az my whole life and we used to rescue puppies of accidental litters that were produced in areas such as Payson and Pinetop where it's more rural and woodsy. A lot of people out there have working dogs that live outside, unneutered. We'd go to those areas because often the puppies would be destroyed in a very inhumane way. We'd take them home, clean them up and find them new homes. They were always covered with flees, ticks and mites. In the middle of the city where we are, you really don't see that.
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I have researched worms of different types and it isn't the cost of treatment that I question, it's is it necessary to be dumping these medications into his system. As with anything, do the pros outweigh the cons? We live in an apartment so fleas, ticks, mites etc are not a concern. They are not a huge concern even with a yard in the area I live. I think I will call the vet's office and discuss heart worms with them since it seems the area is the main determining factor. Growing up and having dogs we've dealt with many vets and none pushed putting our dogs on heartworm meds but they did test them yearly. All of those dogs lived heartworm free. I realize that a lot has changed and people have become more proactive in preventing heartworms but even now my Mom's vet hasn't recommended putting her Cardi on meds nor has my brother's suggested it for his dog so I don't know if it's due to the area or if it just so happens that there are no good vets in Arizona. It's true with all doctors that if you don't ask specific questions or insist on getting information on a specific topic they will not take the time of day to discuss it with you. Our vet is more thorough and caring than most doctors I've dealt with. :)
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Permalink Reply by Kirstin on
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Even a substatute vet should have checked that you were using Heartworm preventative! I think you should call the vet's office and ask about it, or find another vet. It's also a good idea to test him for the disease before beginning meds.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy P on
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This information is incorrect. It is correct that all dogs must be tested prior to administering preventative, but it is not the reason. Some infestations if not severe can be treated by the administration of daily heartworm preventative. If you have mosquitos, you are at risk of heartworm. Better safe than sorry.
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Yes, I would agree. I'm not saying that she was right in not asking, I'm saying that I know nothing about her and she may or may not be a good vet. I'd never seen her before that day. Had I known we would not be seeing our regular vet I would have rescheduled.
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Permalink Reply by Renee on
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Years ago when my kids were small and my ex was in the army we bought a boxer. We were from Colorado and had never even heard of heart worms. The summer she was a year old she was having problems breathing so I took her in. She already was in bad shape and I had to let her go.Since then I have always had them on medicine. It costs a lot less than a broken heart.
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I'm sorry. That must have been very hard. Were heartworms not an issue where you lived in Colorado?
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I called the vet's office on my lunch break and the vet was in surgery but I spoke with the vet tech. She said that they leave it up to the individual owner because while many parts of Arizona are rarely effected by heartworm (usually it's a problem in the outskirt areas as apposed to the middle of the city where we are) it's always a possibility. In the past they could safely say that living in Phoenix your dog was not at risk but starting back in 2000 there has been a rise in diagnosed cases. We are still at less risk than most places but the risk is there none the less. She said if we wish to place him on meds we should start now then have him tested in 6 months. I asked about the risk of starting the meds before testing and she said there used to be a danger in doing so but that is no longer the case. I asked about treating only from May to December and she said if you are going to use the preventative they recommend using it year round. I asked about a brand they recommend and she said Iverhart is what they recommend and sell. Of course they may recommend it because they sell it or it may be the other way around. Has anyone used this brand? My main reason for questioning whether he should be on something is that we will most likely be moving into a house in the next couple months and that means he will be spending more time outside. I'm not really worried now because we are in an apartment and even the vet tech said if the dog is an indoor dog you are probably safe to go without. If he has a yard and there are surrounding pools, washes etc then I would be a little concerned.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Some collies are sensitive to ivermectin, and because of that some owners of other herding breeds use an abundance of caution and avoid the ivermectin-based products. They should have an alternate because of the collie thing. Corgis are very far removed from collies, and I doubt it's a real risk, but still...
In addition, some dogs seem to be bothered by the soft-chew type of tablet (I don't know why, maybe a preservative?) so I prefer the hard tablet type. They are flavored and my dogs think they are just a treat.
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I just read that about Collies on the Iverhart site too though it said that the reactions were caused when higher than recommended doses were administered. they state that when administered correctly even Collie breeds tolerated the medication. That being said, I may still be concerned about possible side effects myself.
I don't think Finn would have a problem with the soft chews but I'm not opposed to looking at other brands. I honestly don't know much about the different brands yet or what ingredients to look for or avoid so I appreciate all input. What brand do you use?
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We use Interceptor. It also controls roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms, and since Jack is a known cat-poop eater, and we have an extensive population of feral cats, the broad-spectrum wormer aspect of it appeals to me.
If other parasites are not an issue, then I think there are products out there that only target heartworm.
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I see that Iverhart and Heartguard use Ivermectin and Pyrantel (and Praziquantel in the Max formula which also covers Whipworms) and Interceptor and Sentinel contain Milbemycin Oxime. Does anyone know what the difference is? Is one more likely to cause adverse reactions than the other?
If our vet sells Iverhart does that mean we would need to see another vet to get a different brand? Until now I was not aware that you needed a prescription for heartworm meds. I feel so out of the loop on this. :)
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