Heartworm meds for dogs

[Melody]

I remember one member telling her story about her dog and the heartworm meds the vet gave her, causing her dogs death. I am going out of town tomorrow and my hubby is taking our little girl dog to the vet for all her shots & check up. I know they are going to push a heartworm product and I want to know what to tell him to say no to. Was it HeartGuard? Thanks!

 

[Jermz79]

I remember something coming out about "ProHeart 6", the 6 month shot they gave for heartworm preventative. I haven't heard anything about HeartGuard and I believe thats what I use! Can't remeber right now ...

 

[Melody]

I think it was the proheart now that you mention it...

SeverumMamma?? Was it you that lost your beloved?? I wish I could remember who it was, or what thread...

 

[talloulou]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=49267&highlight=proheart

this might be the thread you were talking about

 

[Melody]

Geesh... and it was my thread.... I'm such a dork

 

[Bearfan]

I use Heartguard and have for as long as I can remember with no ill effects.

 

[TankGirl]

I think if the dog already has heartworms then the medicine can harm the dog, and that is why they test for heartworms before they prescribe it. If you trust your vet I'd say go with whatever they recommend. We have always used Heartguard.

 

[Hara]

Heartguard should not be used in collies or collie type breeds as they have a heightened sensitivity to the drug ivermectin (active ingredient in heartguard).

Interceptor is a once a month pill that can be safely used in all breeds...

Just a side note as I do not know what breed your dog is.

 

[TankGirl]

That is good to know, Hara. I used to have a smooth collie and the vet never mentioned that 8O

 

[severum mama]

That was my dog. They actually took PH 6 off the market, but are replacing it with Proheart 12, I guess it's supposed to be a once-a-year thing. I'm sure it will also kill lots of dogs, as the poison will be given all in one dose instead of 2. My dog didn't have heartworms. She had a deadly reaction to a dangerous drug that hundreds of other dogs have had reactions to. The vet I see now wouldn't even use it in his office. It was actually one of my main selection criteria for a new vet.

I haven't heard of many problems with Heartgard, but I refuse to buy it anyway because it is made by Ft. Dodge Animal Health, which makes Proheart. Wyeth pharmaceuticals owns Ft. Dodge, which also means no Chapstick, Advil, etc. for me.

I use Interceptor now for both my dogs and haven't had any trouble. I used to use it for my Maggie but the vet just made the Proheart sound so good. I will never make that mistake again. Always research products when your vet pushes them on you- I learned the hard way and will regret it for the rest of my life. Thanks for reading my rant. I have no children so that is what my dogs are to me, and it hurts so much every day that I could have prevented the loss of my baby from corporate greed and lies, had I stayed informed. It's been since May 23, 2003 and it still makes me cry.

I miss my baby so much.