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 Cindy P on
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Most Vets usually carry ALL brands of preventative, and usually offer the patient a choice depending on the brand and what other worms and parasites it covers. I use a heartworm only product because I dont have a parasite problem or fleas, but my vet carry's all the different brands. AND he doesn't really make a huge profit on it he is just keeping my dog as healthy as he can.
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Permalink Reply by Katie on
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One of my corgis is a rescue. When I got him he was heartworm positive when I got him- thin, no energy. I had to have him treated. I would never, ever want another one of my dogs to have to go through that treatment again...even if the treatment has improved in the last few years.
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Permalink Reply by Alice on
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I don't blame you, I wouldn't want to put my dog through that either. I also don't want the preventative to cause serious side effects and I don't know how common that is. If I put him on one I want to be sure I choose the right one. I guess since a prescription is required I won't get much of a choice. How does that work anyway; the vet writes you a prescription and you can buy online or where ever you choose or do you have to buy from your vet? The only meds Finn has had were dispensed by the vet so I don't know how it works. It's not as if there are Doggy Walgreens on every corner you can go to. :)
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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We buy ours at the vet. It's not too bad: about $35 for a six-month supply.
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I believe our vet's office said the Iverhart would be about $27 for six months for a dog Finn's size so it's really not bad at all. I guess we would have to go with Iverhart since that is what they choose to sell.
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Permalink Reply by Mary M on
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To keep it simple buy the preventative from your Vet. Heartguard, the brand that our vet suggests is based on your dogs weight. You can also buy it from differ pet supply catalogs...they will want to verify what your pet needs and usually that will require a prescription from your vet. Once again...good luck!
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If you live anywhere and have been bitten by a mosquito, then your pet should be on a heartworm preventative. The cost of the preventative is much cheaper than the treatment of heartworms, plus the anxiety that a person goes through when there pet has to be treated for heartworms. I know first hand about this. I had never heard of heartworms till my mixed breed pet
Misty got them. It was in the early '80's and my Dad notice her acting oddly one day and suggested she needed a vet visit.
The vet took a blood sample and Misty was diagnosed with heartworms. At that time the treatment required about 3 days
stay at the vet clinic where an IV with a mixture...I believe of arsenic and other drugs where given to her to kill the heartworms. When she was released from the clinic I was given strict instructions that she was to be kept as quiet as possible for 8 weeks. That was very hard as she was an outside dog...but we made it through that time and Misty recovered. From that point on every pet I have had, whether indoors or outdoors has been on a preventative, 12 months
out of the year. I live in the mid-west and that is suggested by my vet. I do not know of a holistic treatment for heartworms. I do not understand a vet not discussing the preventative with you and consider that person irresponsible. With all my past pets besides there shots, heartworm prevention is right at the top of our lists. I hope this helps and your precious & adorable Finnigan! Radar..my corgi thinks he is getting a treat when I give him his Heartguard once every month. :)
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As it turns out my father in law's Corgi is not on a preventative either, nor was their previous Corgi. He also said that he was told once you start a dog on the meds you can never stop. I have never heard that before. Is that true?
So far I've only come across one person here who has their dogs on heartworm meds. As adamant as most people on here seem to be about having your dogs on a preventative, I'm surprised how many people I'm finding in Az who choose not to medicate. None of the people I know here are irresponsible dog owners, in fact most have raised healthy, pampered pooches for many, many years. Maybe it is just such a low risk area that people opt not to give the meds. I know there were a couple people in this discussion who said where they live is the same way. Even our vet's office said they leave it up to each owner to decide since it's not a big problem here but the # of incidents have been increasing over the years and pet owners need to keep in mind that one mosquito bite is all it takes. I'd like to know if the employees at the practice have their dogs on a preventative. I guess I should have asked that.
M Merkle,
I'm sure Finn would gobble them down too. That's how he is with his joint supplements. If he can eat it, he wants it. :)
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While I am sure there are many places in Arizona that do not have mosquitos and the fact that many people you know in that area do not have there dog on a preventative (that are good owners). My comment is, if you ever have to put your pet through the treatment for heartworms...you will wonder why you did not use a preventative!!! The costs of the preventative is relatively inexpensive over the long term. Also, if you travel outside of Arizona, to places where there are mosquitos and take your pet...at least if you have your pet on a preventative, you won't have to worry about your pet getting heartworms. Please...please have your Finn checked...don't concern yourself with what others are doing...the bottom line is Finn is your baby and you have to do what is best for him!!!!
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I do believe it's rare in AZ, and of course any medication has risks.
A friend of mine has a rescue Corgi that had heartworm. He's gone through the treatment successfully, and he is only about 4 years old, but his owner says that since his treatment he has not been the same. He's easily tired and just generally not his perky self.
Unlike intestinal worms, heartworm is always serious. Just my 2 cents.
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I agree that it is serious and if he were at obvious risk I would not think twice about putting him on it. Many of the vets here say it is highly unlikely that a dog will get heartworms in the area and the problem I'm having (yes I know I keep bouncing back and forth in my decision) is that it is indeed a medication and from what I have read it is not actually preventing anything, it is killing the larvae in the early stages so they do not develop into adults. It's this medication that kills the larvae that concerns me. That means year round I would be dumping this toxin into his system and I worry about the effects it may have on his immune system, kidneys and liver. There are many people that argue that a healthy dog with a strong immune system is less at risk for heartworms though I don't know how much proof there is that this is enough to completely prevent heartworms. Cost is not the issue, remembering to give him the tablet is not the issue, my concern is strictly for his health. Do I want to risk his long term health to guard against something that is highly unlikely to ever effect him? M Merkle mentioned having Finn checked and of course I will continue to have him tested, I just need to weigh the pros and cons of putting him on medication and make a decision. If I put him on it I would want to do it at the end of winter anyway since there are no mosquitoes at all right now and I would want to have him tested first despite the fact that the vet's office says it's safe to start the meds before testing.
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I'm glad to know I'm not the only one racking my brain over this and that you see exactly why it is concerning. I'm starting to feel like it's one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't situations. Keep me posted on what you decide.
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