Is heartworm prevention really safe ?

Question

Yopu hear so much about drugs & there side effects .Has there been any concerns about heartworm prevention .It has to be a poison & they want you to have your dog on it year around won't this have bad effects on your dog .I question this because our 8 yr.old wheaten died from heart cancer.We now have a pup & I am questioning alot about vaccines how safe are they really -as safe as the dogfood?

Answer 1

Heartworm preventative can cause reaction in some dogs just as anything can. Some dogs need a different type of preventative then others. For the most part though heartweorm preventative is safe if given correctly and in proper dosage for your dog.Heartworm prevention is much safer then the treatment for heartworms.

As for vaccinations..yearly is no longer recommended by the AAHA/AVMA or the 27 vet schools. It has been very well studied by several universities and at least one major drug company and has been determined that over vaccination is a very real problem and that vaccines are effective longer then a year. The protocol now is 3 years, however that may be changing in another year or so to be 5-7 years due to ongoing research.
It is also recommended that lepto, lyme, parainfluenza & kennel Cough (bordatella) vaccinations not be given to all dogs..only to those that are at very high risk of exposure.
It is also recommended that NO dog get vaccinated for coronavirus, adenovirus-1 or giardia.
No puppy should ever be vaccinated before they have completed their 7th week but preferably 8-9 weeks. The puppy series should NEVER be more then a series of 3 and these are done 4 weeks apart. It is also recommended that no puppy receive rabies vaccinations under 20 weeks of age and never at the same time as other vaccinations.

Answer 2

There are only a few breeds (Collie/Shepherd breeds) that are intolerant to ivomectine and need to be on other heartworm preventative medicines. Ivomectine has been proved to be quite safe for most breeds. Most of us that have quite a few dogs make our own heartworm medication. There is plenty of information on the net of how to mix, and what the dosage would be. The only problem is that if a person were making it for only one dog, one batch of the medication would last the lifetimes of your next three or four dogs.
Ivomectine will also take care of the dogs other de-worming needs. It is also what we use (in stronger doses) for de-worming horses.
Remember tho' that ALL drugs of ALL kinds are a toxin, even the ones approved for humans. So as we well know, from the common cold on up, it's a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Answer 3

Much safer than letting your dog get heartworms and treating them for that.
They can die from the treatment needed to kill heartworms.
Ivermectin, the drug in most heartworm tablets is very safe and has been used in horses for many years. It is safe for breeding stallions and even foals. It is hard to overdose a horse on the medecine and is safe up to like 10 times a normal dose.
Depending on where you live and the amount of heartworm cases in your area you would have to make that decision to prevent or not.
In our area I would never not prevent as one clinic in our area had over 200 positives last year. That is alot for one clinic to see and they think it is getting worse in our area. So I will always prevent.

Answer 4

It's a heckuva lot safer than heartworms!
Believe me, I have a rescued she-dog who has severe heart and lung damage from heartworms.

Many things in our world are not good for our pets.
Think of the flea spray and collars.
I use flea spray sparingly, only when fleas are seen or found.

Also the weed and bug killers we throw or spray in our yards... all poison.

You do need to vaccinate and use heartworm prevention.
These are so much better than the alternative (the diseases).

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

despite what they may tell you there are negative consequences and they vary by breed. Some breeds (collies I know is one) are more susceptible to having a heart attack. All dogs are to some extent as the dead worms can block arteries and / or heart valves. You can get information about how many cases of heartworm were reported in your county from your state. I'd check that out first. Some Vets prescribe it as an additional source of revenue more than need.

Answer 6

Good question, I have seen people suggest that all the drugs are poisons, and that their dogs live much longer without the medications. I guess you take your pick of options, either risk poisoning the dog with the medications, or risk the parasites. Neither option is ideal.

Answer 7

yes