I recently picked up my WL GSD and he is currently 11.5 wks old. I'm not really sure if of all the meds that he should be taking ie: heartworm pills etc. I've heard that Advantage and Revolution are good products but I'm not really sure. I believe they also take care of fleas.

Can anyone give advice on what age the pup should be started on heartworm pills and which products are healthiest for my pup? The addition of the flea control would be nice too.
Thanx

edit: I'm currently feeding him Orijen and am planning on making a LB purchase this week to include the Salmon Oil, and Vitamin E. And possibly get some non sweetened plain yogurt (not sure which LB product takes yogurts place) for the enzymes. Other than switching to The Raw Food Diet is there anything that I'm missing or should consider doing as far as his dietary or medicinal needs are concerned? Your input is greatly appreciated!!! I am looking to possibly switch him over to the Raw Food Diet once I learn enough about it and figure out my suppliers etc...


Edited by Ray Fajardo (10/11/2008 04:59 PM)
Edit reason: Addt'l info.

Anybody????????????

I won't give you a "you must do this" answer but I can tell you that my dogs all take Sentinel once a month--since they were puppies--and nothing else for flea or tick or heartworm prevention. The results have been great. You can only get Sentinel with a vet's prescription because giving Sentinel to a dog that already has heartworms can kill the dog. The vet will want to do a blood test first. I only use vet(s) that will write the prescription but let me use 1-800 Pet-Meds, which is about 50% cheaper than buying Sentinel from my old vet. Some vets will say Pet Meds isn't reliable and the vet, out of obligation, will only allow their own Sentinel to be used to maintain quality control. Uh huh, and my GSD drives himself to his own vet appointments! Pet Meds is a seasoned company with several hundred employees. I don't think Sentinel would allow them to sell counterfeit Sentinel. I can't comment on raw food diets but I will tell you my dogs eat Nature's Recipe large dog formula which has no corn, beef, or wheat ingredients, and as a huge bonus, it has glucosamine and condroitin which are important for GSDs. I've been very happy with this food, although I may be soon switching brands as my Petco is about to stop carrying the large breed variety.

The use of heartworm medications has been the subject of much discussion on this board. If you do a search of this site you'll find some lively debates and good information. Some people don't give it at all, some give it only during the height of mosquito season, some give it every month, and some give it every 45 days.

One thing worth noting: Heartworm medications only prevent heartworms from maturing to the dangerous adult stage. They do not prevent your dog from getting heartworms.

I know plenty of people (Vets included) who never give heartworm medication and their dogs are fine. I also know of forum members who have had a dog with heartworm disease and have said it's a dreadful thing to go through.

A young dog can be given heartworm meds. After 6 months of age, or if your dog is ever off heartworm meds for a few months, a heartworm blood test should be done prior to dosing your dog. Heartworm medication can be dangerous if given to a dog with adult heartworms present.

Revolution and Sentinel are heartworm and flea products combined. Some people swear by them and think they work well, some do not. If I had to choose between the two, I'd choose Revolution.

Advantage is a flea-only product. Advantage-Multi is a combo product. Based on what I heard from the manufacturer's rep 2 years ago, I was not inclined to ever use Advantage-Multi. That's JMHO. :wink:

Personally, I prefer to dose my dog separately so I use Heartgard every 45 days and Frontline for fleas.

A comment about PetMeds: Yes, they are cheaper. However, many vets these days will match PetMeds prices (or any online pharmacy prices) if you ask them to. A smart vet would rather get some of the money than none of the money. Many vets now use VetCentric and will match heartworm and flea product prices with PetMeds prices if you prefer having meds delivered to your home.

 Quote: Sarah Morris

A comment about PetMeds: Yes, they are cheaper. However, many vets these days will match PetMeds prices (or any online pharmacy prices) if you ask them to.

Yes, not to mention that spending your money with them (your local vet) helps them to stay in business to treat your dog when needed.

Thanks you guys I appreciate the advice. I can understand why some would choose to do the heartworm and flea products separetly. And that may be what I end up doing I'm just not sure yet. (haven't really had time to check product/company websites on different products as of yet).

So I guess one of my original questions was how soon is too soon to start a pup on heartworm meds? My pup is only 13 wks old today.

Thanx

Ask your vet. As others have said, he'll need to be tested for heartworm before you can start him on a preventative anyway.

leih

I am sure that every dog is different, but I had used the Advantage Multi for a while and it made my GSD, puppy lethargic and sleepy for about a day. I didn't like using it because you apply it to the dogs skin and there is a chance that they could ingest it if they lick the area, or scratch it with their hind leg and then lick their feet.
I just switched her to an oral med with no flea protection and had better results. I would ask your vet what they recommend.
Just my 2 cents.