Do you give heartworm medicine?

Do you give heartworm medicine?

  • Yes

    Votes: 44 89.8%

  • No

    Votes: 5 10.2%
  • Total voters
    49
melbell said:
See down here I gave it all year long. But up there I don't know if it's necessary or if I can skip winter months then restart it but you have to get tested then don't you?
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We were told that if we opted to not do year 'round, we would need to re-test before restarting in the spring.

What do you use for a tick collar? I have only ever found one on Watson... I hope it's the only one he has ever had, but with their coats.... I could see easily missing one. :(
 
I don't do the heartworm...although I debate it with my husband each year. My mom and my sister never dosed their dogs...because my mom didn't like the idea of giving the dogs what effectively amounted to a poison...and I have to say I agree with her.... we live by a lake, and woods, but the mosquitoes aren't thick at all, I don't think I get more than one or two bites a year...Plus the flea medication I have Honey on is supposed to repel all the insects so they can't even get close enough to bite...
 
Watson's Mom said:
We were told that if we opted to not do year 'round, we would need to re-test before restarting in the spring.

What do you use for a tick collar? I have only ever found one on Watson... I hope it's the only one he has ever had, but with their coats.... I could see easily missing one. :(
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I use Preventic on Ruutu, it works for 3 months then you have to buy a new one. The nice thing about tick collars you can get them online or through a vet, but I found it to be about the same cost (around $20) for it. When I brought home Ruutu (8 weeks) he didn't have a tick collar but Honey did. Ruutu had a tick on him within a week, never bit but was crawling on his belly. I went out right then and there and bought him his tick collar and that was at the beginning of March.

Honey uses Scalibor and it lasts 6 months but also works against fleas. I've always done a double dosage (she also gets Trifexis which covers fleas) on her as that's what the vet recommended. But my vet down here does not carry Scalibor so it wasn't even an option with Ruutu and I just stocked up when in PA last Christmas for Honey. Scalibor is more expensive, but longer time period and you get fleas covered.

Honey has never had a tick on her so I fully believe her tick collar is what kept her from getting them since Ruutu immediately had one.
 
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I use Advantage Multi for heartworms (and other parasites), but apply it only three times per year (end of July; end of September and begining of December just for good measure); the rest of the time it's just flea preventative. If I lived in a warmer part of the country I think I'd be disposed to use it all year round; every six weeks or so.
 
I live in eastern PA and we give it year around. My Aunt had a beagle that died from heart worm. We also give Frontline year around. We do still find the occasional tic no matter how cold the winter.
 
Ann said:
This is a great article by Dr. Jean Dodds that gives the time frame for heartworm meds in every state in the country.

http://drjeandoddspethealthresource...3129/dodds-heartworm-preventives#.U9fOr7E5N-w
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Yeah.. I'm in a "borderline" state, and Texas is a "year-round" state for flea treatment. Since we do Trifexis, it's year-round for both!

Might consider spreading the doses out to 45 days.. but I would be kicking myself if that allowed my dog to get heartworms. My vet does an annual heartworm test regardless.
 
I do heartgard plus monthly. Heartgard plus also deworms for hooks and round worms. And I do Nexgard for fleas and ticks in the hot months. I discontinue flea and tick prevention when the weather gets cold.
 
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