Heartworm
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Should I be administering a heartworm preventive? I have not given Ayo any heartworm medicine, .. some vets here dont think its a real necesity depending on circumstances. I am not sure and would like to know your opinion?
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Not sure I understand "depending on the circumstances"? What would that be? Either there is heartworm in the Dominican Republic or there is not? You can search the web for information, I found this one but the information was from 2000, however… if this were my dog, I would give Heartworm...
"In the year 2000, clinical veterinarians from the Samana Peninsula in the Dominican Republic stated that the incidence of heartworm was minimal (Goodman, personal communication). In this small epidemiological study performed during the summer of 2001, 104 dogs from the Samana Peninsula were tested for heartworm antigen with the WITNESS HW Test and a wet mount evaluation for microfilaria under light microscopy. It was found that 18.2% of the canine population tested positive according to either one or both of the diagnostic methods. It would be advisable to apply prevention measures to control Dirofilaria immitis infection in the canine population of the Samana Peninsula in the Dominican Republic".
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My thoughts are….if there are mosquitos, there is a need for heartworm medication.
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Heartworm is such an awful thing for any animal to get.
If almost 20% of the pet population has it, I would test my b and keep him
protected. -
Also helps with other parasites too.
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Yes, you know for some reason, although I had heard of it and I know that you can get the treatment for it here, it just doesn't seem to be something that veterinarians are too concerned about.for example, no one at the dog park today even knew what that was, and all them take their pets to the vet regularly and get all their shots etc…
I don't remember exactly what It was that I had heard about it not being so necessary, so I don't want to be unfair, but it was something like because it wasn't that common that it didn't make sense to do the preventive treatment? I don't know, what I understood was, against over medicating, or medicating for things that really aren't that necessary, that kind of thing!, I must admit I didn't research it myself, I will tonight, but it has been in the back of my head. Although I can understand not overmedicating, like with the whole vaccine issues, for example, I think I will read up on it tonight and then definitely see about treating. What do you give your dogs for heart worm? -
Heart worm meds are a once a month pill…. and please do the research.. it is deadly... and will kill... treatment can kill as fast as cure.
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Heart worm meds are a once a month pill…. and please do the research.. it is deadly... and will kill... treatment can kill as fast as cure.
That's probably what they were talking about. The treatment being severe? Is that what you mean by treatment can kill as fast as cure???
I will definitely… Thanks.... -
Treatment for the disease versus, preventive treatment?
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If the dog gets heartworms, the treatment is expensive and very rough on the dog. Prevention is a once a month pill or chewable, not very expensive compared with treatment for heartworms. You have to have them tested to be sure the dog is clear before starting the prevention, then you just give the pill monthly, no big deal. If there were no cases in your area, it would be different, but if 20% had them, I would use prevention.
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Ok ,thanks, I did some research and read that there can also be topical treatment with
Advantage.. I had already used that once for fleas.. Do I need to test if I will use that? What do you think of that or is the pill better? -
The pill is easier, treats more. There are new ones, one that is I think every 3 mos?… anyway, the heartguard pill is on the market a long time, safe. I avoid new drugs for at least 4 yrs. The proheart 6 everyone jumped on (give 2 x year)... then boom after about 2 yrs they pulled it as unsafe. Then wormshield pulled for being ineffective. Now everyone is jumping on Advantage Multi, but I'll wait. I'd rather see how it's working in a few years.
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Thanks a lot, will look into it. Ayo needs to go get his vaccines and check up anyway.
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If there is any possibility that heartworm is "out there," I would definitely give Ayo heartworm preventative. Your vet will test him first, then he should prescribe a monthly pill, which prevents five other types of worms as well as the heartworms, and it is just safer to keep him on it. The treatment for a dog having heartworms is long and difficult, and some do not make it through. Advantage is a topical flea medication which keeps the fleas off, but does nothing for worm problems. Keeping that on him as well would be a good thing, who wants fleas?
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@Shaye's:
If there is any possibility that heartworm is "out there," I would definitely give Ayo heartworm preventative. Your vet will test him first, then he should prescribe a monthly pill, which prevents five other types of worms as well as the heartworms, and it is just safer to keep him on it. The treatment for a dog having heartworms is long and difficult, and some do not make it through. Advantage is a topical flea medication which keeps the fleas off, but does nothing for worm problems. Keeping that on him as well would be a good thing, who wants fleas?
Yes thanks I will definetly ask my vet about the pill. I mentioned the advantage because I had heard that there was a new one that also prevents heartworm>>
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i, too, use heartguard. it's very inexpensive, effective, and suki thinks it's a special treat (it's actually softer and chewable - not really like a pill).
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I was speaking to a veterinarian today who explained to me that heart worm preventive medicine is rarely administered here, because of various reasons. First of all it is considers very low incidence,. Another reason and this is what I think I was told is that because most dogs are given ivermectin regularly anyway for deworming and is the main ingredient in heart worm medicine like cardomec. So technically most dogs are covered anyway…. basically what I understood is that dogs here are dewormed more and against more worms than there and so they end up being covered for heart worm with the ivermectin... Does that make sense?
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I was speaking to a veterinarian today who explained to me that heart worm preventive medicine is rarely administered here, because of various reasons. First of all it is considers very low incidence,. Another reason and this is what I think I was told is that because most dogs are given ivermectin regularly anyway for deworming and is the main ingredient in heart worm medicine like cardomec. So technically most dogs are covered anyway…. basically what I understood is that dogs here are dewormed more and against more worms than there and so they end up being covered for heart worm with the ivermectin... Does that make sense?
Well only if you are giving ivermectin monthly… otherwise I would disagree with your Vet. Many use ivermectin instead of monthly heartworm meds... but it is given monthly....
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OK yeah, I agree with you Pat. I will get him tesetd and on the pill. I try to learn as much as I can and make a decision. I find that vets here have a very "relaxed" attitude to treatment and analysis. they tend to " diagnose" by experience rather than tests, on the other hand I am also skeptical about medications and especially preventive treatments, that are advertised a lot , its bussiness, and I feel that, as usual, when bussiness mixes with health, i mistrust. Its like that with people , imagine with dogs!.
However, from what ive read and what everyone has told me, I feel that vets here are underestimating the heartworm situation, and probably a lot of dogs are dying from it without it getting diagnosed.. -
It is one of the very few "preventive" treatments that I trust…. Heartworms are horrible... and the treatment after the fact is worse
