It's That Time of Month AGAIN!!

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

So tomorrow is the BIG day when R&B are due for heartworm, flea & tick preventative.  Remember last month Bandit gave me quite a scare with his temporary paralysis the day after he had his meds (HeartGuard + Vectra).  So going on all the advice given, this month I want to space things out a bit.. so tomorrow I was planning on giving him his heartguard but wait until Friday for the Vectra... OR should I do it the other way around??  Which one is more important that I stick to the 30 day cycle?

 

On another note..

Rosey is on Revolution so she gets it all at once.  They are on different ones because months back the vet suggested Revolution because Rosey had such itchy ears and they wanted to get her on something to treat mites....this is her last dose that I have on hand, but I would like them at somepoint to be on the same thing...is it okay to switch month to month.. meaning this month she will get Revolution and next month Heargaurd + ???... OR... should I get them both on Revolution?

 

I would love to have facts that are more clear on these meds like the food group.  This is so confusing as to what is best for what and can you switch etc...

 

Thanks!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would give the heartworm preventative first for Bandit. It's more important and also less likely to cause any reaction.

I wish I had some advice on which is better for what, but I rely on my vet for that. Food, no, medicine, yes.

JD had to be on Revolution once as a precaution because I'd had a foster here with mites. I thought, hey, this is pretty good, one med that protects against fleas and HW. Jackdoodle's specialist did not want him on Revolution for those things, because he cannot get fleas, and she said that Revolution wasn't as effective against any of the things it's supposed to protect against as the individual meds are.

We use Heartgard and Frontline Plus.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Thanks Karen, I gave him the HeartGaurd but not the Vectra... how long do you think i should wait?  I gave Rosey her last tube of Revolution I had and next month will probably switch her back to HeartGuard just so they are all on the same... plus I have 12 of them... my vet is good at the drug sales;)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I do them two weeks apart, but a week should be fine. JD gets his antigens every other week, so I space it out a little more for that reason.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Should I even try the Vectra again next week??  I don't want to experiment on Bandit!  Should I switch to Frontline Plus now?  Would a flea and tick collar work if he wore it just when we go hiking or outside?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Don't use the collars, they are worse than the spot-ons!

I've used Frontline Plus since 2004 and never had a problem with JD or my previous dog. But every dog is different. I'm not familiar with Vectra.

Trust me, you do not want fleas! We don't have a tick problem here, but the tick borne illnesses can be pretty severe, too. I would definitely use something to prevent fleas and ticks.

[shelly]

I know, suzann.. I HATE giving tori any meds, as she is SO sensitive to everything!  She even had a really bad reaction to one of her shots... can't remember which now - I think the 3 year rabis vacine.... She throws up from the heartworm pill... I stopped giving it during the winter months, and bad ME haven't started again.... I have to bring her in once school is over for an exam... I wish we had a "medical advice" group - there has to be some members who are techs.. or would be vets... I know we have health and medical ISSUES, but some kind of extra help would be great - but I can see issues with giving out medical "advice" and people taking it to fact!  Good luck - I will be watching!

[AndySharon BoomerShaynaMariner]

 

Please remember that this is a forum that everyone is invited to.  If there are any "veterinary" professionals on the forum, I think that them giving "professional" opiniions on the forum would be ill advised.  How can they give "professional" advise without meeting the patient?  Also, professionals make a living by giving "professional" advise.

 

Of course everyone is welcome to give advise on the forum and what you do with it is up to you.  I always recommend that you consult your vet.

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

Shelly, is she  on a pill vs the chews??  They love the HeartGuard chews and I don't think that caused the issues.. it was the Vectra.  You really need to keep her on heartworm preventive... there there is your medical advice from Dr. me:)  I guess all the would be vets want to make money and dishing out free advice would be too risky for doodle lawsuits or they would have to include a lot of fine print on all the responses LOL!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Australian Shepherds and some of the other herding breeds are sensitive to Ivermectin (Heartgard).

[Patty, Roxy & Spencer]

For medical issues I say always check with your vet.  We give our pups their Heartgard first and then a few days later Frontline Plus.  Hearworm meds are more important to give at the same time each month.  If you miss more than a few days, or altogether, you have to have them checked for heartworm before you give them Heartgard.  If they have heartworm and give them Heartgard, it can be very dangerous and I believe cause heart failure. We researched the all in one meds and found for us that administering the two seperate meds worked better for us and the area we live in.  Also, if we give them both at the same time, they either vomit or have real loose stools. 

[Suzann, Rosey & Bandit]

thanks Patty, we did go to the vet last month but they didn't seem to think the meds could have caused his problem and then proceeded to sell me MORE meds, doggie pain pills.  Here is the link to my original post

http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/bandy-went-to-the-vet-update

[Jennifer and Jack]

The issue I had with Revolution which was the very first thing I put Jack on was that it did not protect him from ticks, he got one on him. When I went back to the vet and also talked to his daycare, that was the 'word on the street about Revolution" It did not protect him from ticks, actually Revolution not hands out a "free tick collar" at the vets office if you put your dog on that. For me, having chemicals on Jack will kill my already dying lungs so it was not an option.

 

I had him on Frontline for a while and then he got fleas, We have been on K9 Advantix which I have been very happy with until someone posted about the Green Paw webpage and I saw how extremely toxic it was, Next month we are doing comfortis and natural tick repellent,

As far as spacing them, He gets his heart guard medication the first of the month and his flea medication on the 15th.