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Heart worm Meds
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I know there was a topic on flea and tick solutions. but what’s everyone using for heartworm medication?
We use proheart it’s a injection every 6 months it’s been so grate no problems at all out friends also use it too 😉
Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.
- Dean KnootzWe don’t use anything. There is no need to preventatively subject them to a pesticide. We don’t live in a mosquito heavy area, so infection is unlikely here, so we just have our dogs tested instead. Heartworm infections take time to manifest, so if they were to test positive, there is plenty of time to treat it.
Besides, “prevention” is a misnomer. You can’t prevent heartworm at all, like you can with fleas and ticks. The only thing that heartworm meds do, is treat an infection if there is one. If there is no infection, it does not prevent, so you’re wasting money and needlessly risking side effects.
Forever Weimanamanama
That’s a very interesting point BasG .. How often do you get them tested for heartworm? What do you use for flea tick control?
The dogs get an annual once-over at the vet. They do get shots for some things. Just not for these particular things.
Forever Weimanamanama
We do use heartguard plus monthly because we live in Florida, so the risk of heartworm is high. But like BasG I really prefer to put as little pesticides and unnatural things into their bodies as possible. I don’t keep them on year round flea and tick prevention for that reason. No need to expose them to pesticides if you don’t have to.
I use Heartguard. The 6 month dose so he gets it every 6 months. As for flea and tick, I make my own spray because I don’t like to use all those chemicals on Jaeger. Yea, I have to spray him every time we go out in the woods and whatnot, but it’s better than all those chemicals, its natural and it smells good!!
-Steph & Jaeger
I use red cedar oil for prevention. Best prevention I have found is to look them over good when out in the woods and after you get back. I have also used garlic tablets in the past, but didn’t really notice a difference.
I feel so bad, we are now pesticiding Tyson up twice a month, Revolution for heartworm on the 1st and Advantix for ticks on the 15th–there is a tick infestation here this year and given the number of dogs who have been affected, our vet said it is worth the chemicals, particularly since we are out in the fields where the deer live and all kinds of bugs thrive every day. The Advantix is concerning because it is so toxic that it is dangerous for the cats for 24 hours after application, but last year we had a Lyme disease scare with the boy and the testing was extremely expensive.
Last year we used Revolution for heart worm and a eucalyptus / tea tree oil / cedar spray which he hated but worked fairly well on keeping the deer flies and deep woods bugs at bay.
Thank you all for the replies. Glad to hear all the options. Unfortunately not using any tick preventative isn’t an option for us. We live where ticks are popular and lyme is common. She has been bitten. So excited to hear there are some natural sprays I can make myself!!
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