Heatworm Med year round is it needed living in Ilinois?

Question

I have Vizsla who is just about to turn 1 and i have done alot of reading ... Alot of people say that the heart worm meds actually are hurting the dogs and i should only do it during the months that are averaging above 57 degrees for more then 2 weeks...

Also what vaccinations do you recommend on a yearly basis and what on a less frequent basis

Answer 1

Paul, I live in Michigan now and lived in Indiana prior. I personally stop my Heartworm Preventative from November through til' May in Northern Michigan, and would start it 1 month earlier if I lived in Indiana.

Once the Mosquitos are not a threat anymore. I put the Heartworm tabs away.

*** Paul as far as the Vaccinations, I'm thinking you may not have an established Vet? If not, get one and he/she will direct you as to what you need for your Dog. He/She will also be able to recommend what schedule you should follow for the Heartworm since the Vet will know the seasonal weather situation.

Besides, you will want to know if your Vet has the ability to handle injuries and Traumas and find out if he/she does Surgeries, has an X-Ray machine and other Vets to back him up if he is gone.

I'd do this all under the guise of a Professional so you won't be guessing. It's worth the money, and better to pay for a Vet than what it would cost to treat a Disease or condition.

Answer 2

Heartworm medications should definaitely be given year-round. I don't know the climate where you live, but here it can get way below 0 one week and back up above 40 or 50 the next week. On warm days, mosquitos can become active. Also, heartworm preventative also usually prevents many types of intestinal worms as well. I also suggest you use a flea/tick control throughout the year, as fleas and ticks can be active anytime the ground temp. is abouve 40 F, and fleas can be active in all climates indoors all year long. Please keep in mind that for the price of heartworm treatment one time, you can buy about 10 years worth of hearworm prevention(given $700 treatment and
$5.83 per month for preventative), and teatment is very dangerous. I don't know about where you live, but mosquitos have already been fairly active for about a month or so here is KS, and they wre active thourgh Nov, and even into Dec. last year.

As far as vaccinations go, the puppy series is essential. You need to get 2 or 3 distemper/parvo shots 3 weeks apart, depending on the age the puppy is when it starts. The last vaccine must be no earlier than 15 weeks of age. Bordatella can be given at about 12 weeks, and depending on the vaccine it may or may not have to be boostered. Rabies does not have to be boostered. Here it must be given yearly by law, but it might be different where you live. We use 3 year vaccines, so if ou vet does the same, and the laws allow for it, get the vaccine every 3 years. Some vets are even using a 5-year rabies vaccine now, and there have been some studies suggesting rabies immunity is for life. Distemper/parvo shuold be geven yearly until the dog is 4 years old, then every other year or every 3 years. Studies are suggesting the distemper/parvo vaccine lasts 3 years, again maybe even for life, we'll just have to wait and see what the studies find. Bordatella should be given yearly, or every 6 months if your dog is going to go to the groomer or a boarding/doggy daycare facility. Corona is basically an old disease, and it does not really need to be vaccinated against anymore (it may again vary by area). It is very advisable not to over-vacciante, as studies are showing that many, many problems come from over-vaccinating, from immune-related problems such as allergies and arthritis to cancer. There is still a lot of research to do in the area of vaccines, especially when you consider people don't need vaccines every year - pretty much we need them once, then boostered a few times, and then just tetanus every 10 years. Considering a dog's lifespan is relatively short, one would thing mist vaccines last a lifetime. With a little luck there will be much more research done so we can all know what is best for our pets.

Oh yes, one more thing. I recently heard about a yearly heartworm shot - just one shot a year and you don;t have to worry about it. i'm not familiar with it because the clinic where i work doesn't use it, but it's definitely worth asking your vet about. The only downside is that it doesn't control internal parasites like whipworms, roundworms, and hookworms.

Answer 3

I have the same concerns about the meds.I also live in IL. and I keep mine on them year round regardless of the expense.We live close to the river and our town is all hills and gullies which are considered natural drainage.The mosquitos are really thick here.Since our winters have been fairly mild I've found mosquitos inside during Feb. so I'd rather keep them on heartwormer and be safe than take the risk.
I usually stop applying flea drops in Dec.and restart in March to save a little but I found fleas on the dogs in Jan.this year so we'll not be doing that again either.
My friends dog was diagnosed with heartworms and she ended up spending almost 2.000.00 to treat him.
If you keep your dog on the med it need only be tested once every 2 years.With 2 big dogs it's more cost effective for me to keep them on it year round as well as less hassle.Taking it off as you do and the dog has to be tested yearly.And if your vet allows you to stop the meds and restart them without drawing blood I'd be finding a new vet.
The heartwormer also covers several other kinds of worms that your dog may get regardless of the weather anyway.
I'm not happy about handing my dogs what I consider to be poison but it's the risk you have to take.We have our kids vaccinated knowing there are risks involved.But without being vaccinated they are at more risk of contracting something so what do you do?

Answer 4

Well heartworms can actually live inside your dog for 2 years. To be safe you want to get your dog tested for it, then keep it on heartworm meds during the warmer months when the humidity is high and mosquitos are around.
I would recommend just getting a 5 in 1 shot. I heard parvo is going to be bad this year, so I would get that. And of course your rabies.

Answer 5

As for heartworm meds- if you are in N IL (weather probably similar to ours in WI), you really only need to give them march through september- basically the warmer months with no snow. Parasites do not move around when it gets cold- they lay dormant until the weather gets warmer. Same with fleas.

As for vaccines, all we give are a yearly distemper and rabies shot. There is the one for kennel cough, but if your dog doesn't stay at kennels I wouldn't worry about it.

Answer 6

My vet recommends heart worm meds be taken year around because they also keep roundworm and ringworm away. There was another one but I can't think of it...lol

Answer 7

im not a vet but with my dog, after her first year of heart worm and flea applications, i give them every other month unless i notice a difference.so far,so good
as for vaccines, they need bordello,(kennel cough) rabies(once a year) .go to purina.com. they might have more info.