Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Cooper has never been tested for heartowrm, and has never had heartworm preventatives. It was never mentioned by the vets in Vancouver, or by my new vet in Ontario (though it was winter when we saw him). Sherri (Sophie and Winston) mentioned heartworm preventatives to me a while back, and it seems that Ontario is a hot spot for it. So I got Cooper an appointment for testing and to get preventatives for July - October.
We just got back from the vet ($173 lighter). The test has been couriered out, we should get the results tomorrow or the day after (im not particularly concerned). However, the receptionist did give me the option to take the preventatives now or wait til the results come in. I took them now (will save me an hour round trip to get them) but I did check that they were returnable on the off chance that Coopers test comes back positive, as she wouldnt be able to have the meds. She said yes, but I can give her the med now, she could still have them.... I thought it was dangerous for a heartworm positive dog to have heartworm preventatives.... thats why you have to have the test done, and get a prescription if you arent buying the preventatives from the vet...
We have Revolution (if it makes any difference)...
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It is dangerous to give heartworm meds to a positive dog although the time factor may make a difference. It takes months, I think but I will have to check, for some stages to develop.
I think Cooper should be OK. From Wikipedia:
It has been shown that lapses of up to 4 months between doses of Ivermectin-based products still provides 95% protection from adult worms. This 'safety net' period is called the 'Reach Back Effect'.[15] Annual heartworm testing is highly recommended for pet owners who choose to use minimal dosing schedules.
Given the climate, 4 months back should mean Cooper was in winter weather and very unlikely to have gotten bitten then.
The active ingredient in Revolution is selamectin, which is even safer than ivermectin but not as effective. Both seem to be okay f given to dogs who are HW +, at least in the early stages:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_heartworm_prevention.html
Isn't one of the heartworm preventive meds also one that is used in treatment?
Not really. The only real treatment is Immiticide. But for dogs who are Class I positive (very early stage, young healthy dogs with no obvious signs of disease), ivermectin can be used if there is no other option. Some info:
Melarsomine treatment is expensive and often out of reach for rescue groups, shelters, and many individuals. If the dog is stable (Class I), one option is to simply leave the dog on an ivermectin-based preventive. This option has led to a great deal of misconception about the ability of ivermectin to kill adult heartworms. Let us lay the rumors to rest now:
This means that if you opt to treat a heartworm positive dog with an ivermectin-based heartworm preventive only, you can expect the dog to remain heartworm positive for as long as two years and the heartworm disease will be progressing during those two years. This is not good for the dog but certainly beats getting no treatment of any kind. This approach should only be considered for patients who are Class I and may be able to withstand prolonged heartworm infection.
Unfortunately, there has been an Immiticide shortage for over a year (http://www.askavetquestion.com/news/2011/immiticide-shortage/). This makes prevention all the more important. Here is a link to a discussion I posted last July concerning heart worms after fostering and ultimately adopting our Lacey.
I wonder if the increase in cases is more like an increase in knowledge about cases, i.e. maybe it is because there is more testing so more cases are identified, rather than a real increase in the number of dogs getting heart worm...
Even if the increase is due to more testing it still means dogs are getting heartworm.
So, this has gotten me looking into some of these articles on Heartworm treatment and it seems that what I'm reading is saying that I don't actually need to be treating each month. That at most once every 3 months is all that would be needed. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
I don't think that is a good idea. Once a month is recommended. Yes, you might get away with it but still...
I wouldn't risk it. You can go from December to March safely without giving HW preventatives. The risks of using the preventatives are so small compared to the risks (and horror) with HW treatment if you dog does get it, it's just not worth it, IMO.
To each his own.
Here we still have mosquitoes biting people in November, so a December dose is necessary.
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