Heartworm treatment shortage

[shilohsmom]

A friend of mine brought to my attention a problem that exists right now with Vets not being able to get treatment for Heartworm. I did a little research and found out that Vets can no longer obtain the meds from their rep's and instead have to submit their requests to the maker and each case is handled on a case by case basis. Basically the Vets have to prove that the animal is in critial condition (via xrays, ultrasounds, and other tests) before the Maker will consider their requests. In most cases all these tests are cost prohibited for most rescues.

My friend told me how this could be a death sentence for dogs in shelters in the South as many of them have Heartworm and the rescues #1-can't pull the dogs if they can't treat them and #2 can't pull the dogs and hold them (holding up a foster home) until April when the meds are expected to be available again and then another couple of months while they treated the dog.

Right away I spoke with my Vet who was kind enough to put aside his supply for the rescue. My thinking is many of us live in areas where there is little to no heartworm. In these areas we could talk with our Vets and see if they could help out a Vet in one of these affected areas. I'm willing to do this with other Vets in the area if there is a need. Does anyone think this would be helpful?

[AnnaRiley]

You have got to be kidding!! I swear I think this is just about money. I'm having the same problem with my thyroid meds. The manufactureres are now saying it's a lack of sources - BS!

[Samba]

In the last several years, in medicine, we have experienced many shortages. This never happened in my first 15 years working, but now, it is quite problematic.

[shilohsmom]

Well I'll just leave this out there as an option. I'd hate to have our rescues not be able to pull dogs or be able to treat them for Heartworm. The shortages are awful. I guess there are several meds now that are in short supply and I can't really say I understand why.

[Jazy's mom]

Yes Rosa, this is going to be a huge problems with dogs here in the south.

I personally had a foster dog scheduled for HW treatment when I found out about the shortage. I freaked out and called the vet to see if they already had a supply on hand. Luckily, they had already ordered the medicine for my foster before the shortage was announced. He has already received his treatment and is doing good.

Because HW is so common in the south, many vets do have some in stock. But from what I have been told, this medication has a short shelf life so it is not like they have a huge stock pile of it on hand. I think it is a wonderful idea to ask vets in areas where HW is not that common to maybe "save" some of the medication for rescue animals.

[shilohsmom]

Amy, please feel free to contact me if there is anything I can do to help. At this point it doesn't look like the rescues I had asked for need it, so I could have easy access for someone for 2-3 dogs. The expiration date on the meds I saw was Aug 2010 so we've got some time.

If I can help out please pm me.

I don't want to miss out helping someone in case I forget to return to this thread. Of course, you can also pm me.

[Remo]

My vet confirmed this information last night. He has set aside a couple of doses for our rescue. I LOVE that man!

[Jax08]

http://www.myevt.com/news/immiticide-shortage-alert

Quoteue to "unforseen technical difficulties" Merial announced that they are experiencing production shortages of Immiticide (melarsomine dihydrochloride). Immiticide, currently the only drug available to treat adult heartworms, will not be back in production until April of 2010. Veterinarians and shelters can no longer order the amounts they need through their representative, but instead are being asked to call the Merial Customer Care line at 888.637.4251. In order to receive the drug, Merial technicians now have to approve each and every sale of Immiticide and will screen patient medical information to determine which animals will receive the drug. Merial is currently approving Immiticide only for emergency patients and those with the greatest need for the drug on a case-by-case basis.

[gsdcentral]

My roommate works at a vet and she is the one who does the ordering. She said she thinks they are switching or moving production plants and that is what is causing the shortage. Rescues can always use the slow method until the immiticide is available.

[shilohsmom]

Originally Posted By: shilohsmomAmy, please feel free to contact me if there is anything I can do to help. At this point it doesn't look like the rescues I had asked for need it, so I could have easy access for someone for 2-3 dogs. The expiration date on the meds I saw was Aug 2010 so we've got some time.

If I can help out please pm me.

I don't want to miss out helping someone in case I forget to return to this thread. Of course, you can also pm me.

I need to clarify, the access I have is for rescues only. Unfortunately, I wasn't clear but this was the agreement I made with my Vet.