The heartworm preventative I've been using is now discontinued. My vet suggested Triflexis, and that I order it online. Can anyone recommend an alternative which does not treat fleas (I have an external flea treatment that I am happy with) and is therefore more affordable? I am also looking for one that is dosed monthly, rather than weekly or daily.
I use Milbemax on my lot, don't know if that is even a med you have over there, you probably have more meds available in the US, but that's what is current here in the UK.
Thanks, Tracey.
No, we can't buy that in the US; it's made by the same company as Interceptor and Sentinel, so they don't want it marketed here.
If I'd done my research sooner, I'd have known that Interceptor is not discontinued; my vet can't get it right now and is no longer going to sell OTC meds. This is actually better for me, because now I'll be shopping price.
I dose Ivermectin right out of the bottle. $30 for a 50 mL bottle will last me a long while with multiple dogs. I'd be spending close to $200 a month just on heart worm prevention if I went with something from the vet.
I've been using this method for years and I have never had a heart worm positive dog.
Reg: 07-13-2005
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One thing about Ivermectin (in its cattle med form) is that its use for dogs is off-label, and I've seen instructions online (on forums) that were off by as much as an entire decimal point.
Also, of course, it doesn't carry the warnings about the breeds that can't be given it, as it would if it were a prep made for (marketed to the owners of) dogs.
So here's a link about learning from your vet how to use it first, with dosage and warning info:
Also, of course, it doesn't carry the warnings about the breeds that can't be given it, as it would if it were a prep made for (marketed to the owners of) dogs.
FWIW, all heartworm meds are in the same class of drug and carry the same risk factor for dogs sensitive to ivermectin.
Also, I've not seen any documented info saying that ivermectin is unsafe for sensitive dogs at the dose needed for HW prevention (according to all those little leaflets in HW boxes it is safe unless you give multiple doses at once). It's the overdoses that could be harmful or fatal.
But the bottom line is still the same - doing your research and talking to your vet is pretty important before off label use.
Reg: 07-13-2005
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Loc: North-Central coast of California
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Quote: Mara Jessup
Quote: Connie Sutherland
Also, of course, it doesn't carry the warnings about the breeds that can't be given it, as it would if it were a prep made for (marketed to the owners of) dogs.
FWIW, all heartworm meds are in the same class of drug and carry the same risk factor for dogs sensitive to ivermectin.
Absolutely. My point was that the appropriate breed warnings that are included in the inserts of products for dogs are not included in products for cattle.
Quote: Mara Jessup
... But the bottom line is still the same - doing your research and talking to your vet is pretty important before off label use.
Big ditto.
Again, I've seen such incredibly wrong dosage instructions in online posts that it scares me .... including ten times to a hundred times the appropriate dose. Many forums lock threads about off-label use for that specific reason.
But your advice is exactly the right advice: " ... doing your research and talking to your vet is pretty important before off label use."
Absolutely. My point was that the appropriate breed warnings that are included in the inserts of products for dogs are not included in products for cattle.
Ah - got it! Sorry, I assumed you were referring to the difference between ivermectin and other drugs. My bad.
Edited by Connie Sutherland (04/10/2012 06:51 PM)
Edit reason: fixed broken quote that made post blank
Reg: 07-27-2009
Posts: 1421
Loc: Southern California
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I use TriHeart. Nice and cheap. Works great, granted a heartworm case in the area is somewhat uncommon.
I did get some samples of Trifexis from our rep though and am going to give it a try. Danni hates chewable tablets with a bitter passion. If I can give her one instead of two a month it would make both our lives easier!
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