Anyone have any thoughts on which is better the heartworm injection or the pills?
Other than convenience? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Thank you
Diane

plain heartgard

The problem with the shot is that if you dog has an adverse reaction they will be under the weather for 6 months (from what I have heard from other owner). For comparison, heartgard only stays in the body for a day or two.

Are you refering to Proheart6 made by Fort Dodge? There are a reported 4000 deaths due to adverse reactions to the injection, I sure as hell wouldn't take the chance on those odds .

I just saw a news report on ProHeart6 and they talked w/ people who lost 3 dogs from the injection, and one who became blind! All 3 of the dogs they mentioned were older, over 8 , but still!!!

They said that the manufacturer clims it is safe , but I sure as hell wouldn't use it for my dogs!!

It's pills for my pooches!!

I knew it was bad, but not that bad! The sad thing is that the average pet owner doesn't find this stuff out until it is too late.

PS sorry for the poor spelling/grammar in the first post. I need to get a real computer desk with space for the keyboard.

Read this, it made my hair stand on end .

Mar 1, 2004 8:45 pm US/Eastern
Could your pet be in danger? I-team reporter Joe Bergantino investigates.

Joanne Plumer treats all of her dogs like members of the family. So she immediately noticed something was wrong with her 13-year-old dog named April.

Joanne Plumer: "She couldn't stand up any more, she couldn't eat, her mouth was full of blisters, her fur was falling out."

It all started the day after April got a shot of this heartworm medication called Proheart 6. Three weeks later, April had to be put to sleep.

Joanne Plumer: "We were devastated with April. We were totally devastated with April. She was my baby."

Within a few weeks, Joanne’s other dog, 10-year-old Cuji, also treated with Proheart 6 got very sick. Cuji died three months after getting her shot.

Joanne Plumer: "She went completely blind. Then you know, she started coughing and coughing and she couldn't catch her breath and we checked her out and she had complete kidney failure."

These are not isolated cases.

Our I-Team investigation has found that in the past two and a half years the FDA has received more than four thousand reports of dogs getting sick after getting a shot of Proheart six. And more than four hundred dogs have died nationwide. The FDA says it's been able to link Proheart six to a small percentage of those cases. But even those numbers are, in the FDA's words, "a cause for concern", and the agency is investigating.

In fact, the FDA has twice told the makers of Proheart 6 to change its labeling. Most recently, asking the company to add that there have been rare reports of death.

Dr. Bob Rogers: "I think this is just the tip of the iceberg."

Veterinarian Bob Rogers wonders why the FDA c has not taken the drug off the market.

The FDA’s answer: it believes the medication could potentially save the lives of more dogs than it harms.

But Dr. Rogers disagrees.

Dr. Bob Rogers: "I have seen veterinary drugs pulled off the market when there were less deaths involved than this."

As for the manufacturer of Proheart 6, a company called fort dodge animal health, it declined an on-camera interview but released this statement saying: Millions of U.S. dogs have benefited from the heartworm protection provided by Proheart 6.

The reports submitted to the FDA represent a fraction of 1% of the total doses sold. And the product has been proven to be safe. Donna Sadoski doesn't believe that. Her eleven-year-old dog Sammy went blind after getting a shot of Proheart 6.

Donna Sadoski: "I wonder how many animals will be put to sleep? How many animals will have life threatening problems they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives before someone stops this medicine from actually being given to them."

The makers of Proheart 6 say they do not believe their heartworm medication caused Donna's and Joanne’s dogs to get sick.

But the FDA continues to investigate, at this point asking the company to find out if there are any impurities in the drug's formula that may be causing problems.

If your dog becomes ill after being treated with Proheart 6, you should report it to the FDA’s center for veterinary medicine. The number to call is 1-888-fda-vets. Or visit thier website at http://www.fda.gov

Diane,
I live in a place endemic with heartworm. Heartguard chewables work just fine for me. And it is certainly not inconvient to give my dogs a 'treat' once a month. I wanted to know more about the ingredients and found this link:
Proheart info
(Go to the memorial/survivior page and look at poor Zeus and his reaction to the injection site.)

The whole idea about the time released medication just rubs me wrong (six months of time release!!! ) and if the vet does not follow the exact procedure of mixing the dosage (two different vials of solutions), timing (has to set for 30 minutes, no more or less) and injection site, well it just sounds like a recipe for disaster. And to top it off, the proheart 6 company cannot even guarantee that dogs cannot contract heartworm a month after the injection anyway!

The FDA receives the reports of animal related pharmaceuticals from the companies that manufactures the drugs! (95%) the other 5% comes from veterinarians and consumers. Although the drug companies are supposed to base their information from reports by vets and consumers, it could be assumed the reports would be a little biased.

Hi all,
One of my vets works part time at FDA & she gets numerous calls a day from vets, etc. on the injectable heartworm preventative....when I inquired, she absolutely said not to do it and to discourage others from it...my vet clinic will not even carry it or offer it. If a client specifically requests it, they will still refuse..
I think with her working & taking these calls at FDA, her advice would have merits...
Bernie

I don't understand either why they do not take it off the market <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Fort Dodge has had problems in the past with other products that were supposadly safe. Quite a few years ago they were sued by ranchers for having tainted vaccines for sheep and goats. I will not do the shot and I think all vets should get smart and not even offer it. The last vet I talked to told me that he offers it because some of his clients are not consistant with the oral medications. Well tough! The protection of the heartgaurd is longer than the 30 day or once a month treatment and I would rather do that than give my dog a death sentence from the shot.