Ivermectin vs Heartguard or any other heartworm

[Greg Pyles]

We have been giving our doodles Ivermectin  at the rate of one hanging drop per month for the last 2 years with no problems. Vet ok'd this after some discussion. Our dogs weigh 75 and 70 pounds. It only cost $25 for the syringe of Ivermectin which last a year, then they get tested. Does anyone have similar experiences with heartworm prevention. Seems to be a lot safer than overdosing your dog with Heartguard or other products. The cost is obviously less.

What are your experiences?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I give monthly heartworm treatment, which I do not consider an overdose. You seem eager to see if others are following alternative medical treatments. I wonder why?

[Greg Pyles]

I am just curious. We have had Golden in the past and gave them Heartgurd. The newer Heartguard increased the various chemicals to treat other types of worms besides heartworm. So if your dog doesn't have worms because they were dewormed when they were pups why do you need the other chemicals? We just want to prevent heartworms. I believe it is a bottom line decision of the manufacturer. So your pet is getting dosed with something they don't need. Hense they are being over dosed.

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I suppose if you never take your dog anywhere they could get any other kind of worm that might make sense but I certainly take my dogs on walks in all kinds of places and other animals get into my yard , rabbits and squirrels etc., who might have worms. Being deformed as a puppy doesn't protect a dog for life. I do some things by utilizing my own method but the commercial heartworm treatment works fine for me.

[Greg Pyles]

You are correct being dewormed as a pup doesn't,t mean they are protected for life. That's why you take stool samples to your vet regularly. That's great! Our approach is to be an advocate for our dogs and keep them away from chemicals as much as we can. What might be good for might not be good for Fido. Just because they sell the product doesn't,t mean it is safe.

[Adina P]

We luckily live in a heartworm-FREE section of the country so I don't have experience with this.
 As I understand it there is the dose that is effective and then there is under or overdosing.    Why do you consider Heartguard an 'overdose'?

[Greg Pyles]

Heartguard and other preventative heartworm products are also treating for other types of worms, plus heartworms. We just don't want nor need the worm treatment. We just want heartworms treated. This practice of treating various worms is something added to the product in the past few years. This is what we have found. You are lucky you don't need to treat for heartworms. May I ask what part of the country you live in? In the summer we have many mosquitos in northeastern Ohio so we have to watch out for this.  

[Adina P]

Walla Walla, WA

[Debbie & Gibbs]

My vet asked me last time we had our dogs in if we wanted to do the heart worm injection that would last a year? Is this the same thing? I told him no that I didn't want to do that. I don't have any facts one way or the other if that's a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe someone here does. The vet said that he ends up treating so many pets that are on heart worm preventative and end up with heart worms, he said that most owner's forget to give the pill and this just makes it easier on the owner not to have to remember.

I have a setting in my phone that reminds me on the first of every month, so I always give heart worm preventative the first of the month. Just interested in what everyone thinks about the shot. Also, if they are getting a shot that lasts a whole year, just seems like they would be getting 12 X the dose?

[F, Calla & Luca]

I didn't realize there was such an injection. I looked it up. It is a sustained release injection. It might be good for people who can remember the pills. What I object to about sustained release injectables, as a physician, is once they are in you can't remove them. So I personally would not want to do this. Like you I give monthly meds. to the dogs on the first and that has worked well for me.