Do you give your pets Heartworm Preventatives

[JeanKBBMM]

I don't know---here is the link---
http://www.harboranimal.com/

[griz]

In my area they test every 2 years.There is no law stating such as you said, its the vets discression.

In the FL Keys, no choice...hot all the time-the mosquitos can be the size of cats. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Our dogs get HW prevention. Bailey our 2 yr old has been on Heartgard, ProHeart, and now Interceptor.
Our new rescued addition, Bud came with ProHeart. He is suppose to go back to the vet tomorrow for follow up work and his next injection of Pro Heart for the next 6 mos.

My husband is active duty military and some military bases have vet services and some don't...that should explain why Bailey has been on three different types of HW prevention.

Any thoughts on if I should get Bud re-injected with ProHeart tomorrow? Or should I start him on the tasty meaty pills monthly? [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Thanks, [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Unbridled Brunette]

Hmm. I'm going to ask Sabaka's vet tomorrow if yearly testing in order to refill prescriptions is a state law. The old vet (my ex boss) told his employs and his clients it was law...but he also charged people who shopped at Petmeds Express about twice what he charged everyone else (to get back at them for not buying HW prevention from him). So I guess he could have been lying to screw people out of money...

[Ashten]

If you give your dog the heartworm vaccination, in my opinion, your dog is more likley to die from that than heartworm.

I have a link to a news article on the heartworm vaccination. Over 400 dogs have died from it in a year. I will post it tommorrow. I am at home and the link is on my work computer.

[Ashten]

Here is a link to the news story on the heartworm injection/vaccine.
http://cbsnewyork.com/investigates/l...061162738.html

My dog Charlie gets heartworm medicine monthly all year. We live in a high mosquito populated area. I have seen other dogs suffer through heartworms and would never want that for Charlie

[bjoy02]

I am willing to go the 3 year route with vaccines, but I've seen too many people take the gamble with HW prevention and lose.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I haven't personally known anyone who took chances and lost, but I have seen many HW+ local shelter dogs, and that's enough to convince me that it's just not worth the risk. I use Advantage Duo for fleas/ticks and heartworm prevention.

[ILGHAUS]

Here in FL HW is horrible. Many years ago a vet would not give med to a dog until after they tested positive for heartworms, then they would treat. I went through it with a couple of my dogs. Then we thought it was a miracle when they came out with the daily meds.

In the past I have had the neighbors on both sides of me have HW+ dogs, at the same time! Most adult dogs going through the shelter down here are HW+. So you can see, it is very common. Something I had never heard before about a year ago is the treatment of dogs with mild cases of HW with the preventative. So many times now is not whether the shelter dogs are HW+, but how bad.

In my county we are required to have a yearly rabies shot so to keep track I also have them tested for heartworms at the same time.

[jocoyn]

South Carolina

You bet! and I test as well.

Our Springer died at 14 due to congestive heart failure due to heartworms (confirmed) as we did not test, but she was on preventive all her life.and never showed clinical signs until it was too late......but we missed one winter dose and that was enough